Norman Laker and Marcel Theunissen acknowledged the threat of Springbok powerhouses Jean-Luc and Dan du Preez when the Stormers clash with Sale Sharks on Saturday.
The England side will subject the Stormers to the pressure of a Test match in their third round Champions Cup tie at the Cape Town Stadium in a rematch of their first meeting held at the same stage of last season’s competition.
Leolin Zas scored several tries as the Stormers secured a bonus point win in Cape Town. Rob du Preez, who played for the Stormers between 2015 and 2017, scored nine times against his former side, and has played a key role at Sale over the past five seasons alongside his younger brothers and fellow Boks Jean-Luc and Dan.
Du Preezs are three of eight South African players registered for Sale, while former Stormers skipper Ernst van Rhyn has also made a big impact for Alex Sanderson’s side after joining the Manchester club in 2023.
Addressing the challenges posed by a high-quality Sale outfit bolstered by several familiar faces, Stormers assistant coach Laker told the media on Tuesday:
“We know Ernst van Rhyn very well, Rob du Preez also played here and we know the twins well. These are good quality clothes.
“We know the coaching staff well and are looking forward to meeting and spending time together.
“They are a big bunch with good, dynamic ball carriers. As I said, we know the Du Preez brothers very well. We’ve done quite a bit of coaching against Dan and Jean-Luc. They are both good ball carriers and Sale, like the Currys, rely heavily on them.”
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“They are a team that can beat if they are physical and physically mismatched,” he added.
“Dan and Jean-Luc have a great offloading game and as we all know, they have players who can beat you individually.
“If you get the ball on the front foot they will try to throw a few offloads and move wide to beat you. “They are a strong, versatile team.”
Capable of playing in the back row, Theunissen is relishing the opportunity to make his mark behind the scrum and expects a huge physical challenge up front against Sale.
“Everyone knows that if we are going to be physically dominant in kills and scrums, we have to have the right mindset,” he said. “We have to play on Saturday. It’s a decision we have to make as a team.
“We know what lies ahead and we need to have the right mindset to embrace it and give back to them. We will have to physically stand up. “We know they will try to dominate us up front and in certain stages, so we will have to match them in those areas.”
“I think playing at number 8 suits me in the system our team plays because I can play to my strengths,” Theunissen added.
“I will play there at 6-7 if I need to, but the 8-year-old suits me well and I am enjoying it.”
Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images for Sale Sharks
