Warrick Gelant

Springbok fullback Warrick Gelant is expected to make his first appearance for the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld against the Lions in their Super Fan Saturday clash.

The Stormers will face the Lions on Saturday at 19:00 in the second match of a doubleheader which will see the Sharks take on the Bulls beforehand.

Stormers head coach John Dobson has named eight Springboks in the Stormers matchday squad for their return to rugby this weekend.

Gelant starts at fullback, while the likes of prop Leon Lyons, utility forward Hannes Gouws, flyhalf Tim Swiel, centre Michal Hazner, wing Angelo Davids and fullback Tristan Leyds are all set to earn their first Stormers caps from the extended replacements bench.

Gelant is joined by fellow Springboks Damian Willemse, Herschel Jantjies, captain Siya Kolisi, Frans Malherbe, Scarra Ntubeni and Steven Kitshoff in the starting line-up, while Bongi Mbonambi is among the replacements.

Wing Leolin Zas will make his first appearance for the Stormers since early 2017, having returned to his home franchise last year.

Dobson said that there is plenty of excitement among the squad to finally get back onto the field and pull the jersey on.

“It has been a while for everyone, players coaches and our fans are all hungry for rugby, so we cannot wait to get there and take the next step as we build towards the new competition which kicks off next month,” he said.

“Everyone has worked very hard to get to this point and while it will be great to see our high-profile players out on the pitch, we are also looking forward to seeing some new faces and seeing how they go against a quality Lions side.”

Teams:

Lions

TBA

Stormers

15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Leolin Zas, 13 Dan du Plessis, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Ernst van Rhyn, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Chris van Zyl, 20 Nama Xaba, 21 Hannes Gouws, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Tim Swiel, 24 Michal Hazner, 25 Angelo Davids, 26 Tristan Leyds

– Compiled by Sport24 staff

Arno Botha is looking forward to the competition for place at the Bulls

• Bulls ace Arno Botha is not concerned over fears that South African rugby hasn’t allowed for enough contact training to resume competitive play.
• The 28-year-old flanker, one of Jake White’s big signings, reiterates the point of many conditioning experts that if every team’s ideal pre-season were to be respected, play would take ages to restart.
• Botha also points out that the recently injured Springboks such as Handre Pollard showed the way in their attitude towards the issue.

Typical of the way the Covid-19 pandemic has played on people’s minds, South African rugby’s long-awaited return with the Superfan Saturday event at Loftus this weekend is suddenly tinged with some doubt.

Are the players physically ready for collisions and tackles again after over four weeks’ contact training? Will they drop like flies as the strain takes its toll?

It’s not questions that Arno Botha preoccupies himself with though.

“The best way to train contact is playing a game,” the Bulls flanker told a media briefing on Monday.

“You’re never going to be contact-fit until you do it. It’s just one of those things. You can’t simulate real contact against teammates on a training field, the breakdowns aren’t live. 

“An actual game is far quicker. For the first two games, your lungs will burn and you’ll feel like you’re tasting blood but after that you’re okay. You get used to it.”

In fact, the 28-year-old ace – one of Jake White’s marquee signings in 2020 after returning from a superb two-year stint with Irish giants Munster – reiterates the point of various conditioning specialists in the game that if every team’s wish on an ideal pre-season were to be respected, it would take months before play starts again.

“Maybe some guys think that they still need two weeks but I really don’t know if that’s going to make a difference,” said Botha, who won two international caps in 2013.

“I’m fine playing this weekend and all my teammates are probably too. Our preparation has really been good. Jake and his staff have managed it perfectly. The plan has been a good one.

“We’ve trained enough to say we’re ready. We wouldn’t have started playing if we weren’t ready.”

The jitteriness over the overall conditioning of South Africa’s players has undoubtedly been heightened by the major injuries suffered by Springboks RG Snyman, Handre Pollard and Lood de Jager, a fact Botha acknowledges.

Yet, in the end, this is what professional players sign up for.

“When you look at what’s happened to guys like Handre, it’s very sad. One takes notice of that,” said Botha.

“But we also know that we play a contact sport. One takes a cue from them. They say on social media that they accept they play a contact sport, their attitudes are perfect. It’s about realising every time you take the field that it’s a blessing to be playing with your body feeling well.”

Gavin Hunt being unveiled as the new Kaizer Chiefs head coach.

Rugby Championship trophy (Getty Images)

• While rugby is set to return to South Africa at the end of the month, there is still no news as to whether the Springboks will take their place in the Rugby Championship.
• SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux has indicated that plans are still being pursued to allow the Springboks to defend their title.
• The Rugby Championship is scheduled to start on 7 November in Australia.

While South Africans were greeted with news of the return of local rugby on Tuesday afternoon there was still no clarification as to whether the Springboks would play in the upcoming Rugby Championships or not.

SA Rugby confirmed that the local season will resume on 26 September with a friendly double-header at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, when the Bulls take on the Sharks and the Lions battle the Stormers on Super Fan Saturday.

READ | The wait is over! Rugby returns to South Africa in late September

That will be followed by  the Springbok Showdown, a unique match that will pit the best local stars and top, up-and-coming talent against each other on 3 October with two teams, Springbok Green and Springbok Orange picked by directory of rugby, Rassie Erasmus and Springbok coach, Jacques Nienaber.

The third element of rugby’s return sees a double round local competition between seven franchises, which kicks off on the weekend of 10 October.

But news whether the Springboks will take part in the Rugby Championship was not forthcoming. 

SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux did confirm that plans are still being pursued in that regard but were dependent on international travel and other governmental restrictions as well as player wellness and high performance considerations.

“We’re still not in a position to confirm plans for the Springboks, but it remains our wish that they play Tests this year,” said Roux.

“It would not only be great to see the Rugby World Cup champions in action, but it would also give the Bok management valuable preparation for next year’s tour of the British & Irish Lions,” he added.

The Rugby Championship, originally scheduled for New Zealand, will be held in Australia from 7 November.

– Compiled by Sport24 staff

Jacinda Ardern (Getty Images)

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday she was working to ensure New Zealand’s strict quarantine rules do not stop the All Blacks hosting the Wallabies in next month’s Bledisloe Cup.

New Zealand last week lost hosting rights for the November-December Rugby Championship to Australia because its strict border controls would have hampered player training.

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie on Sunday raised similar concerns about the keenly watched Bledisloe Cup.

But Ardern – who faces a 17 October election in the rugby-mad nation – assured fans “we’ll be able to find a workable solution so that we can make the Bledisloe Cup happen”.

She said Australia’s Wallabies were a lower Covid-19 risk than the South African and Argentine players involved in the four-nation Rugby Championship.

“There’s a different risk profile for teams from Australia than, for instance, the likes of South Africa and Argentina, where we already have teams’ members who have tested positive for Covid,” she told reporters.

Asked if the Bledisloe fixtures could also be moved to Australia, Ardern replied: “I don’t think that’s going to be necessary.”

The Championship was switched because New Zealand’s rules would have prevented squads playing together for much of their two-week quarantine.

Rennie said he would not accept such restrictions on the Wallabies, who were reportedly pencilled in to face the All Blacks on 10 October, for what will be the New Zealander’s first Test as coach of the Australian team.

“New Zealand Rugby’s got an expectation that we jump on a plane a day after the Super Rugby final (on 19 September), have two weeks in quarantine where we can’t prepare as a team and play a Test seven days later,” he told reporters Sunday.

“Under those quarantine arrangements, I can assure you we won’t be playing a Test that weekend.”

It now appears likely the two Bledisloe Tests, which were awarded to New Zealand as a consolation for losing the Rugby Championship, will now be played on 17 and 24 October.

Ardern was unfazed at the prospect of an All Blacks Test taking place on the same date as the general election.

“New Zealanders are perfectly able to engage with the Bledisloe Cup and an election,” she said, pointing out that Tests in New Zealand were traditionally played in the evening, when polling booths will have already closed.

There is a strong possibility that at least one of the Tests will be played in front of full crowds, after Ardern said she wanted to move the country, with the exception of Auckland, to a lower alert level from 21 September.

That will remove limits on social gatherings, allowing spectators into sporting grounds.