Salmaan Moerat expects a ‘furious’ clash against the Lions on Saturday in the first of two SA Vodacom URC derbies for the DHL Stormers in Cape Town over the festive period.
The Stormers face the Johannesburg outfit in round 8 of the URC at Cape Town Stadium, before John Dobson’s charges host the Sharks in a coastal derby next week.
Moerat is in line to make his 50th appearance for the Stormers when he leads the team out on Saturday, and speaking to the media after training in Bellville this week, the towering lock highlighted the challenge posed by the Pride.
“The Lions have been consistently good over the last few seasons, and they’ve got a young team which they’ve built up over the last few years,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “They’re nice and settled down, as is their coaching staff.
“They’re also known to have a good scrum so we’re expecting a tough battle up front. They’ll be nice and mobile as well, they’re one of the few packs around that can move.
“But we pride ourselves on our mobility, so we’re expecting a fast and furious game.”
The Stormers have been battling injuries to several key players and results haven’t gone their way, so the return to action of fellow Springboks Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ben-Jason Dixon, Frans Malherbe and Deon Fourie has been a boost for Moerat and his teammates.
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“The experience that they bring and their insight on the game is invaluable,” he said. “A guy like Franna [Malherbe] is back this weekend, he’s obviously a team favourite so we’re excited to see how he goes.”
Moerat played a leading role in the Stormers’ URC title triumph in 2021-22, yet it’s been a rollercoaster ride for the 26-year-old to his 50th cap, with several injury setbacks since his 2018 debut.
On finally reaching the milestone, he shared: “It took much longer than I expected, it’s been a rough road with injuries but I’m grateful for the journey that I’ve had.
“It’s a special occasion to play 50 times for the Stormers.I never thought it would be possible as a younger Salmaan but very excited to get stuck in this weekend.”
The Bok skipper, too, is optimistic about the Stormers’ future after the lessons from last week’s Investec Champions Cup defeat to Harlequins at Twickenham Stoop.
“We all know it’s important that we get the result this weekend. We’ll be doing everything that we can, and our preparation has been really good,” Moderate added.
“From a team perspective, we know our potential and we just need to click. Once we get that result things can shift for us.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
