Stephen Nell

Cape Town – Willem de Waal showed that he’s ready if the Stormers need him, but Peter Grant is set to be the Stormers’ flyhalf in their Super14 opener against the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Grant started both the Stormers’ pre-season matches against the Western Force and Sharks, while De Waal took an important step towards regaining his match-fitness by starting the weekend’s friendly match against Boland in the Cape Town Stadium.

South Africa under-20 fly-half Lionel Cronjé also caught the eye as a substitute in the Stormers’ 47-13 win, but coach Allister Coetzee is set to opt for experience.

“I used Peter Grant, Juan de Jongh and Jaque Fourie against the Force and Sharks. It’s a good and settled combination,” said Coetzee.

“Lionel is also knocking hard on the door, but at this stage I will opt for experience and the best possible players.

“Willem came through and is over his injury. He just needs game time. That does not mean I have to pick him against the Lions.”

It will be interesting to see what Coetzee’s selections at scrumhalf and right wing will be.

Ricky Januarie wore the No 9 jersey against Boland on Saturday after returning from the Ospreys in Wales and it will be interesting to see if he gets the nod ahead of Dewaldt Duvenage.

Duvenage started at scrumhalf against the Sharks and Force, but Januarie and Grant have often played together in the past. It therefore should not be a problem for Januarie to slot in if Coetzee wants to opt for the fighting spirit of the Springbok scrumhalf.

“We all know Ricky’s ability as a scrumhalf. It’s nice to have him in your team rather than playing against you,” said Coetzee.

The No 14 jersey is likely to be handed to Gio Aplon, but Sireli Naqelevuki showed in pre-season that he is serious about getting forgiveness for the high tackle that cost Western Province a place in last year’s Currie Cup final.

Naqelevuki scored a brilliant try against the Sharks and played well again on Saturday.

He can be a good impact player off the Stormers’ bench. The crowd did not jeer him when he made his appearance at the weekend and he certainly has something to offer when the mood grabs him to play.

While one can’t read much into Saturday’s match, it did highlight the fact that the Stormers have good depth in certain positions. Centre Frikkie Welsh and loose forward Pieter Louw were among the top performers.

“It was not about the scoreboard, but to get the players used to the systems,” said Coetzee.

“The first half was not good. We could not build phases and lost the ball in contact. There was a better attitude in the second half. The players kept the ball through phases and finished well when the opportunities were there.

“I will only be able to say exactly where we stand after the Lions game. I’m reasonably satisfied with where we are now.”

Possible Stormers team against the Lions:
Joe Pietersen, Gio Aplon, Jaque Fourie, Juan de Jongh, Bryan Habana, Peter Grant, Ricky Januarie, Duane Vermeulen, Francois Louw, Schalk Burger (captain), Andries Bekker, De Kock Steenkamp, Brock Harris, Tiaan Liebenberg, Wicus Blaauw.