Siya Kolisi earmarked for versatile role on his return to the Stormers

The DHL Stormers are celebrating the homecoming of a trio of Springboks superstars as they put the pressure on themselves to win the BKT URC title for a second time.

They have welcomed back flanker Siya Kolisi, winger Cheslin Kolbe and tighthead prop Wilco Louw following spells with the Hollywoodbets Sharks, Tokyo Sungoliath and the Vodacom Bulls respectively.

As captain Ruhan Nel confirms, it’s a real triple boost for the ambitious Cape Town-based outfit.

“It’s pretty well documented about their abilities as rugby players, but I think if you look at the humans we are getting back into our system, that’s actually the thing that stands out the most for me,” said the veteran centre.

“I had the pleasure of playing Sevens with Cheslin in a couple of tournaments and he is exactly the same guy now as what he was back then and I think that speaks volumes of his character.

“We know Siya for the character he is and the impact he has on the people of South Africa and I know Wilco as well.

“For me, the more better people you can get in the environment, I just believe you will have better rugby players as well.

“We have got three very big guys coming back, also three Stormers men. It’s very exciting.

“Apart from what they are bringing on the field physically, just the type of humans we are going to have in the environment is also a massive contribution to us.”

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11:45

25 Sep 26

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Adding his thoughts, Director of Rugby John Dobson said: “They are all multiple season Stormers. So there’s a sense of a homecoming.

“We offered all our Springboks a week off next month and not one of those three guys took up that right which is fantastic.

“It shows their commitment to the Stormers that they wanted to play every game.”

Dobson went on to speak about all three players individually.

On double World Cup-winning Springboks skipper Kolisi, he said: “He’s already thoroughly invested.

“He’s a guy we’d look at in all positions in the back row.

“We’ve got three guys that have played six for South Africa this year in Siya, Deon Fourie and Paul de Villiers.

“With the way Siya has grown physically, he could play seven and eight for us as well.”

As for Louw, who started all four Tests in the recent Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand, he said: “Just seeing the damage he is doing on the world stage now, he’s a massive acquisition for us.”

Kolbe, who passed 50 caps this summer, will have a delayed start to the campaign after suffering a broken jaw against the All Blacks in Johannesburg three weeks ago.

Dobson said: “It’s a bit of a blow that Cheslin won’t play the October matches because we have been a bit light on the wings over the last season or two.

“It’s a blow he’s out for four weeks, but he’s got a long season after that.

“He’s massive for us in terms of what he brings as a player and to the community.”

The Stormers have also signed highly rated young scrum-half Haashim Pead from the 10Bet Lions as they prepare for their opening BKT URC fixture against Connacht Rugby in Galway this Friday.

“I am very happy with the balance of the squad,” said Dobson.

“We have been working quite hard on our age distribution over the last couple of years.

“Our depth is definitely better than it was.

“If you look at the experience we have and the youngsters coming through, I think this is the best quality squad we have put out in the history of the BKT URC.”

With this in mind, Dobson says the Stormers are embarking on the league season with high hopes of repeating their 2022 title triumph.

“It’s the most pressure we have been under in terms of what our own expectations are, not from external pressure,” he said.

“I honestly feel it’s the strongest squad we have put out, the most cohesion, the most caps, so we must put ourselves under pressure to try and win the BKT URC.

“The semi-final against Leinster in Dublin last season gave us a lot of hope. We came a hell of a bit close, but just came up short.

“We shouldn’t have been playing away. That’s because Cardiff, credit to them, beat us.

“We are going to put ourselves under pressure to try and lift that trophy again. We are not here just to take part. We really think we have got an opportunity in this one.”

He continued: “In terms of winning the tournament, the reality is there are some guys that are perennially there.

“You have to beat Leinster. They are always going to be the team that people wonder where they are at the end of the season.

“Somebody has to beat them to win the BKT URC. That’s the challenge for the competition. I am sure if you log on to a sporting bet website now they would be the favourites by some distance.

“So they are a massive factor. It’s that game that determines where the trophy is going.

“But there are teams that can do it whereas before BKT URC days it was maybe an absolute shoe-in. So that’s how I see it.”

Looking back on June’s 20-11 defeat to Leinster Rugby in the play-off semi-finals at the Aviva Stadium, skipper Nel said: “That loss is still fresh in our minds.

“I think there were lessons learned in that game, just seeing how we could operate in that hostile environment going against the full Irish team.

“Although we lost, there was some real confidence that came out of the game in that we were actually right there.”

Looking ahead to the new campaign, Nel added: “It’s a massive opportunity for us.

“Hopefully we can get the start again like we had last season. It lays a pretty nice foundation.”