When the DHL Stormers suffered a 30-23 loss to the Emirates Lions in round 12 of this season’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) competition, it was tough to see the Cape side getting to this season’s playoffs.
That loss left them languishing outside the top 8 of the table, and next up for coach John Dobson’s side were games against their biggest rivals, the Vodacom Bulls. And they walked into the cauldron of Loftus Versfeld as rank underdogs, only for Stormers captain and lock Salmaan Moerat to step up and deliver an inspiring performance in an unexpected 19-16 victory.
Physical Edge
Moerat proved he has the physical edge to lead his team in crunch games, after copping some criticism for at times not giving his all when it comes to the tough exchanges, as the front-row forward has battled quite a few injuries since debuting for the Cape side in 2018.
Ever since that unexpected win against the Bulls, Moerat has led his side to a fourth straight URC quarterfinal since debuting and winning the competition in 2023.
Yes, there were some more defeats after that Bulls win that would have made even the most faithful Stormers supporters doubt that they would see the playoffs. But in a home run that saw the Cape side hold off a plucky Connacht [34-29], blow away Benetton [56-5], slay the Dragons [48-12] and beat Cardiff Blues [34-24], Moerat made sure his team book their trip to Glasgow for Friday’s knockout clash with the Warriors.
How did he do it? Well, a familiar face in Paarl Boys High School First XV coach, Sean Erasmus, has been watching closely how his former captain of the famous Winelands school has been performing.
Leadership
And according to Erasmus, a former assistant coach at the Lions, Moerat has been showing the type of form and leadership that made him the best schoolboy lock and captain in the country in 2015 and 2016 after representing the South African School sides in Grades 11 and 12 at Paarl Boys.
In an exclusive discussion with Telecom Asia Sport, Erasmus says of Moerat:
He is a very special young man that I have a lot of respect for. Salmaan, since his time at Paarl Boys High, has earned the respect of all his fellow rugby players and his peers at school.
I think the most important thing that I noticed when Salmaan started playing first team at Boys High was that he always had this very calm demeanour about him. And when the boys used to get ready before warm-up, Salmaan would always spend time with the kids from the primary school.
They loved Salmaan and saw him as one of their heroes. He would take them to see the first team change room and explain to them what it takes to aspire to one day get the honour of wearing the First XV jersey, play touchies with them on the field. All while everybody else seemed nervous and getting ready for a big game.
Calmness
Moerat’s calmness is not the only thing Erasmus has noted for the lock’s return to some fine form since being cut down by numerous injuries over the past two seasons. And of how he has seen Moerat make a return to his robust best:
I think his physicality is something that stands out [this season]. And at times, his commitment to go hard could be the reason that he has suffered a lot of injuries because he is all-in for his team. Always puts his body on the line.
So, we have been amazingly proud of Salmaan as Paarl Boys High to see how he has developed and how he has become a stalwart for the Stormers and is going on to become a Springbok and more recently [the 66 th ] Springbok captain.
I think there is a long career as a Springbok ahead of him, and he is still very young in terms of the lock position, but he will certainly get better as he gains more experience.
Influence
Meanwhile, Stormers rookie Marcel Theunissen also praised Moerat’s influence in making him a better player during this URC campaign. At Monday’s press conference ahead of Friday’s big game against Glasgow Warriors, the loose - forward was asked about his role as a lineout option for the Stormers and how he has been getting better as a receiving option in the set-piece.
Theunissen says:
I have a good understanding of [my role in] the lineout, but I must compliment the guy next to me [forwards coach Rito Hlungwani]. I think the roles they are playing help me a lot, and talking a lot to a guy like Salmaan, Ruben [van Heerden] and JD Schickerling.
There are a lot of times when we would sit together and analyse the opposition team’s lineouts so I must compliment them. They are doing a very good job, and they help me look good.
Making his teammates look good while putting in the donkey work on Friday night alongside fellow forward bruisers Van Heerden and Schickerling, will again be key for Moerat as the Stormers eye making the semi-finals of the URC for a third time in four season.
