Robert du Preez’s homecoming is one in all a number of flamable backstories to Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup conflict at DHL Stadium which guarantees fireworks when the Stormers host the Sale Sharks.
The eldest of the three Du Preez brothers, 31-year-old Robert has carved out a distinguished profession in England, however his rugby journey started on South African soil and it was in Cape City the place his skilled profession took flight.
A standout schoolboy at Kearsney School and the ‘Participant that Rocks’ for Stellenbosch College’s Maties through the 2014 Varsity Cup, Robert’s rise noticed him change Durban for Cape City to play for Western Province and the Stormers from 2015 to 2017.
Nonetheless, his street to Sale was paved with setbacks. Chosen together with Jean-Luc and Dan for the Springboks in 2018, Robert’s Take a look at debut towards Wales in Washington DC resulted in heartbreak after a expensive cost down within the last minutes resulted in Rassie Erasmus’ tenure as Bok coach starting with a 22-20 reverse.
Du Preez joined Sale later that 12 months, initially on mortgage, and has since grow to be a key participant in his 148 appearances, profitable the Premiership Rugby Cup in 2020, and sustaining a 60% win price for the Manchester membership.
Du Preez has confronted his former workforce earlier than. Final season, he contributed 9 factors in a slim loss to the Stormers, together with his 40-metre penalty within the second half threatening a comeback earlier than the Stormers sealed the match with a shocking breakaway attempt. Now, he returns to Cape City with much more expertise, prepared to steer Sale’s cost towards a Stormers facet bolstered by a famously giant, and vocal, dwelling crowd.
MORE: Stormers cautious of Du Preez issue
Ernst van Rhyn, one other South African ahead for the Sharks, can also be a former Maties star who performed greater than 50 matches for the Stormers beneath coach John Dobson. Van Rhyn has been a standout performer since becoming a member of Sale in 2023; a pillar of consistency within the trenches his work-rate is the stuff of legend and he has a giant urge for food for defence – attributes Van Rhyn shall be desirous to drive dwelling towards his former membership.
Du Preez’s twin brothers are terrifying behemoths, famend for his or her ball expertise as a lot as brute pressure. Key cogs in Sale’s formidable pack, Jean-Luc and Dan are dynamic within the tight unfastened, combining uncooked physicality within the carry with a penchant for locating methods to dump within the sort out.
Followers will keep in mind final season’s thriller in Cape City, the place winger Leolin Zas and unfastened ahead Hacjivah Dayimani produced moments of magic to safe a dramatic 31-24 Stormers victory towards Sale.
For the likes of Van Rhyn and the Du Preezs, Saturday’s conflict is an opportunity to shine in entrance of their countrymen, reviving mid-table Sale from a disappointing Gallagher English Premiership loss at Gloucester and boosting the membership’s possibilities of advancing to the Champions Cup playoffs.
For the Stormers, it’s about clinching their first win within the competitors this season, and proving to themselves that the momentum gained from successive Vodacom URC derby victories was the beginning of one thing particular.
Photograph: EPCR Rugby