After numerous influential performances for the Stormers during the United Rugby Championship (URC) this season, Dan du Plessis’ injury came at an inopportune time for the centre.
After spending two weeks out, Du Plessis will return to action when the Stormers take on the Bulls in a home derby at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.
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Du Plessis hopes to return to the field after a frustrating time on the sidelines and make a difference for his franchise.
“It’s never easy to be on the sidelines, especially when you’re working week after week to get into a starting lineup on the team and it all stops with injury,” Du Plessis told the Stormers’ website.
The clash against their traditional rivals, the Bulls, comes at a critical time in their season, as both the URC and the Champions Cup are in full swing during the December-January period.
Of course, the two sides met in the inaugural URC final earlier this year, and the Stormers won that battle to become champions.
There’s also little to separate them on the current record, with both teams on 34 points. The Bulls are in second place, however, one spot above the Stormers thanks to a superior win ratio.
Du Plessis acknowledged that a tough clash awaits him on Friday.
“The Bulls have looked really good this season, we know how dangerous they can be when they get going. It’s going to be a massive crash this weekend,” Du Plessis said when asked about the crash specifically.
“In games like these, there is very little room for error. Discipline is going to be important. Other important aspects will be scrums and midfielders. Whatever the combination, you can dictate the game better and put your team ahead.” . It will give them a good chance of success,” he added.
Although the Stormers have only lost one South African derby in the United Rugby Championship, Du Plessis cautions about the importance of focusing on what’s to come.
“We have to rely on the fact that we only lost one game against South African opposition last season,” he said.
“On the other hand, we have to remember that it’s a new season, the teams look a bit different, there are new players and we would have been scrutinized a lot as a team.
“We need to use that confidence but also not get ahead of ourselves. Home derbies are always very close and really physical games.”
Friday’s game at Cape Town Stadium kicks off at 7:15 p.m.
