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Blommetjies fills a gap at Stormers

• Coach John Dobson impressed with the new man’s all-round game and composure

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Clayton Blommetjies may not have the spring in his step or the “pedal to the metal” operating style of Warrick Gelant, but he has convinced the Stormers coach he is made of the right stuff. It is still early spring, but former Cheetahs player Blommetjies has already made an impression on John Dobson.

Clayton Blommetjies may not have the spring in his step or the “petal to the metal” operating style of Warrick Gelant, but he has convinced the Stormers coach he is made of the right stuff.

It is still early spring, but former Cheetahs player Blommetjies — who left the City of Roses to fill the gap vacated by Gelant when he left for Paris — has already made an impression on John Dobson.

“I was particularly impressed with Clayton against Connacht because of the efficiency of his all-round game, his composure and the experience he has from playing 200 professional matches,” the coach said on the team’s website.

The defending champions beat the Irish outfit 38-15 in their opening United Rugby Championship (URC) clash in Stellenbosch, and Blommetjies hit the ground running.

“He combined very well with Manie [Libbok] and his presence meant we could still do the same things we did on attack when playing Warrick.”

That perhaps stands at odds with the view Blommetjies expressed before he left Bloemfontein, that he and Gelant are vastly different players who will do different things in different scenarios. In output, however, he will have to deliver close to his predecessor’s capacity.

Blommetjies is a grizzled operator, having played 41 games for the Bulls and 91 for the Cheetahs. He also had short stints at Scarlets and Leicester Tigers. Like Gelant, he has a wide skill set, but is perhaps less potent when going forward, while his proclivity for guile and deception sometimes leads him up blind alleys.

Dobson is unlikely to prune his free-spirited and highly sociable new recruit.

“We looked at options, but for me Clayton was the closest we would get to what Warrick had given us in strike power,” Dobson said.

“I would say Warrick has the edge on out-and-out pace, but outside that the two players are very similar when assessing their strongest qualities. They both have a similar attacking mindset. They both gelled quickly with Manie as our No 10.”

Blommetjies, who was schooled in Paarl, is one of the region’s many exports. That the 32-year-old decided to return is perhaps testament to the strides the Stormers have taken under Dobson.

IT SPEAKS VOLUMES FOR WHAT WE ARE ACHIEVING … YOUNGSTERS WANT TO STAY AND MORE SENIOR PLAYERS WANT TO RETURN

John Dobson Stormers coach

“We are a team made up of so many players from this region, some who have been in the professional system since they became seniors and others who were schooled in the Western Cape, left and have come back,” Dobson said. “It speaks volumes for what we are achieving as a squad where youngsters want to stay and more senior players want to return.”

The Stormers play Edinburgh, the team they beat in the quarterfinals of the URC last season, in their next match on Saturday.

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2022-09-30T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-30T07:00:00.0000000Z

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