Cape Town – The Stormers have found their No 1 midfield combination in Ruhan Nel and Dan du Plessis after a couple of years of falling between players and not having a settled combination.
What makes the duo so good currently is that they fit each other like a glove when it comes to responsibilities in midfield. Du Plessis being the battering ram on attack and Nel the eagle-eyed defender, smothering and stopping opposition attacks almost singlehandedly.
When they have to fill in for each other, Du Plessis can take the big men down with his tackles and Nel can exploit space with the ball in hand. And when the two combine in midfield on attack, something is bound to happen for their wings on the outside.
It’s been a while since the Stormers had two midfielders complimenting each other like this. You would probably have to go back to the days when Springbok duo
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Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie dominated in the centres for the Cape side.
This is exactly who Nel and Du Plessis are likened to currently.
Du Plessis loves taking the ball up in contact, something De Villiers feasted on in the No 12 jersey, but there is also that deceiving pace that Du Plessis possesses that allows him to sail through gaps and beat defenders as De Villiers did in his playing days.
Nel on the other hand organises the defence brilliantly just like Fourie did. He knows when to shoot up to smother the attack of his opponents and when to lay back to keep the defensive line.
Being a former Blitzbok, Nel is also adept at getting turnover ball for his team when he has isolated an attacker with his tackles. In the games they have been playing together, the team looks so much better on defence and they attack with way more confidence.
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Both have excellent distribution skills which make it easier to bring the deadly Stormers wings into play. They were brilliant against Clermont and London Irish last month when the Stormers had to win to secure their place in the Champions Cup knockout phase.
The duo were broken up the next week against Ulster in Belfast and you could see the influence of Du Plessis was missing in that clash. But a week later the duo were reunited against the Sharks and that turned out in a drubbing for the home team in Durban.
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Barring any injuries, Dobson should call on the duo to lead the Stormers backline, with playmaker Manie Libbok getting a rest against the Bulls this week.
Nel did not play against the Bulls last time around in Cape Town due to injury and will be licking his lips to test himself against the Pretoriabased side.
He is also just getting back into his stride with his centre partner, so it will be difficult for Dobson to break that combination in such a crucial match.
@LeightonK
