Cape Town — With a big game, there are always battles within the battle. And the United Rugby Championship Grand Final is going to come with a barrage of those.
One of those contests will be in midfield and, in terms of the Stormers, you don’t have to think back to their entire season to get a look into why that is. All you have to do is rewind to the past weekend.
In the Stormers’ dramatic semi-final victory over Ulster, midfield was one of those areas where magic happened, and while inside centre Damian Willemse was without a doubt the standout performer for the hosts, his midfield partner, Ruhan Nel, has also been a consistently-solid presence in centre stage.
So, here’s a look at the Stormers’ midfield.
Damian Willemse
When Willemse came onto the Stormers scene in 2017, he was a hot-stepping, fresh-out-of-school prodigy who got tongues wagging with his otherwordly balling abilities.
He made the difficult things looks easy and could single-handedly deceive half a team’s defence (remember that Currie Cup game, Bulls?) with his feet. While flash certainly was his thing, he never shied away from the more physical aspects, either, and it’s still a big part of his game.
Fast forward a few years, and he’s a 24-year-old who’s walked quite a road.
The Stepper is now a World Cup-winner who has come to play a very different role with his franchise.
He has played flyhalf and fullback for the Stormers and was used as a utility back for the Springboks. Now, since Warrick Gelant settled took over the No 15 jumper, Willemse has settled at 12 with the Stormers, and he’s made the transition appear almost natural.
He has been in the form of his career in the Stormers midfield, and while the debate around his ‘preferred’ position or where he’ll eventually settle will probably continue, he has made one thing clear — he’s a player who’s willing to work for the team, wherever that may be.
Willemse has owned the inside centre role with maturity and presence that has been impossible to deny.
Against Ulster, he was named Man of the Match after producing a monster performance, all while playing with an elbow fracture.
That’s the Damian Willemse the Bulls are going to have to deal with come Saturday.
Ruhan Nel
It is often said that Sevens players rarely make the cut in Fifteens.
If you look at recent history, the transition from Sevens to Fifteens just doesnt’ always work, and there have been few guys who have really carried the same promise from the one rugby code to the other.
Kwagga Smith was one of them, then there’s the Bulls’ Kurt-Lee Arendse, while Sevens superstar Seabelo Senatla has also come a long way since dominating on the circuit.
And then there’s Ruhan Nel.
He’s the kind of centre who can switch it up, and he has been consistently good for the Stormers in midfield.
Be it tackles that make the opposition well aware of his presence or they way he can create opportunities for his outside backs, Nel and Willemse are going to be huge factors this weekend.
IOL Sport