Stormers captain Ruhan Nel will return to the starting team for the United Rugby Championship (URC) match against Ulster in Cape Town on Saturday. Nel has warned his side not to underestimate the visitors.
Nel missed the last two matches, one in the Champions Cup and one in the URC. He will play in the midfield in the last game before the November international break.
“We’ve never had it easy against Ulster, whether at home or away in Belfast,” Nel said.
The Stormers won close games against Bristol Bears and Scarlets on consecutive weekends while Nel was out. Their defence still came under heavy criticism after both matches.
The team scrambled well to hold Bristol to two tries. Scarlets found space on the outside of the defence many times and scored six tries. Outside centre Joe Robberts scored three of them.
Nel is also the team’s chief defensive organiser, and IOL reported that he should bring more steel to the midfield. He will play alongside Markus Muller, a Springbok hopeful. Muller was named in the starting team on Friday afternoon after an injury to Jonathan Roche.
Nel said some people were pointing to the eight or nine Ulster international players who flew home. He did not agree that this makes the visitors easier to beat.
“I think the guys who have come over are pushing for starting spots. Even if they’re not regular starters, you look at experienced players like James Hume at 13 and John Cooney at scrumhalf. They bring plenty of leadership to the field,” he said.
“We certainly won’t underestimate the players they’ve brought over. Their team is by no means weaker; if anything, I think these guys strengthen it even more,” Nel said.
Ulster sit 13th on the URC log and have not won a match. This is the final match of their tour.
Nel said the log position did not tell the full story. “I don’t look past them on the table, if I can put it that way,” he said.
“If you look at how Ulster have played over the last few weeks, they have everything going for them at the moment. They’ve had two consecutive draws and almost beat the Bulls at Loftus,” Nel said.
He said the result at Loftus might have been different if Ulster had not kicked the ball out at the end of that game.
“It’s a big match for us. We drew in Belfast last year towards the end of the season, so we know exactly what’s waiting for us on Saturday,” Nel said.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Sport. Image: IOL Sport. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.