Return of Ruhan Nel gives Stormers' Dobson selection options as he ponders Leicester visit

If the Stormers’ confidence took a knock after shipping 61 points in London at the weekend, the return of the steely Ruhan Nel will not only inject calmness but also give John Dobson vital selection options ahead of Saturday’s Champions Cup clash with Leicester Tigers in Cape Town.

The coach saw his backline reserves depleted by injury in the first half of the season, and Nel—who was at the helm of the side when impressive victories were notched up overseas—has been sorely missed for his leadership, notably on defence.

With Nel back at outside centre, Dobson may well ponder moving Wandisile Simelane to full-back, where Warrick Gelant has been some way off his best. Simelane performed solid duty in the position while Gelant was injured.

If Dobson is considering a change at 15, there is also the possibility of entrusting Damian Willemse to counter the inevitable kicking threat of England Test stars Jack van Poortvliet (scrumhalf) and Freddie Steward (fullback).

But Dobson hardly needs to hit the panic button. He will have the wisdom to write off the Harlequins rout as the type of anomaly that occasionally springs up over a long season. Last week, most of Dobson’s first-choice players were preparing in Cape Town for Leicester, and the second-stringers at The Stoop took their eye off the ball on a day when Harlequins hit their straps.

“I don’t think I have ever seen Harlequins play as well as they did against us, and there was just no let-up once we went behind,” said attack coach Dawie Snyman. “It was one of those 'blowout' days.

"I am sure many of the players who were on the field will look at themselves and know they are capable of a lot better, and that they didn’t give the best version of themselves at The Stoop. We were poor in pretty much all areas, we beat ourselves in one or two key moments, and we were far from the standard we expect of ourselves. There is a lot to work on after that.”

Andre-Hugo Venter, who was with Snyman at Tuesday’s media conference, added that the players this week will feed off the atmosphere generated by a packed-out Cape Town Stadium.

“Playing at home makes a massive difference. The energy from the crowd gives you that extra push when it gets tough,” the hooker said.

“If you go overseas, they always have that sense of home-ground advantage because they have smaller stadiums, so they mostly sell out. That has a huge impact on the game. There will be pressure, but we want to go out and perform and secure our play-off for the Round of 16. It’s about putting our best foot forward and taking control of what we can control.”