DHL Stormers relishing home start
The DHL Stormers are relishing the chance to start their 2016 Vodacom Super Rugby campaign in front of their faithful fans at DHL Newlands against the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday.
The last time the DHL Stormers started a Vodacom Super Rugby season at home at DHL Newlands was back in 2012, when they got the better of the Hurricanes 39-26.
Head Coach Robbie Fleck said that after an intense pre-season his team cannot wait to run out at DHL Newlands and hear the roar of the crowd before they take on the Vodacom Bulls.
“We are all looking forward to this game, this is what Vodacom Super Rugby is all about, especially from a South African point of view.
“There is a lot of hype around it and I think both teams embrace it and really look forward to the challenge.
“It is a massive honour for me and it is humbling to be involved in this match. I can only draw confidence from our preparations and how hard we have worked, and that gives me comfort,” he said.
Fleck admitted to some nerves ahead of his first match as Head Coach, having served as an assistant to Allister Coetzee since 2010, but added that the hard work that has been put in and the quality of players and management staff around him have helped keep the butterflies at bay.
“Obviously there are a few butterflies in the stomach and there are some expectations out there, but that is only natural.
“We play for a great franchise and a great union, the players understand it and we are all very excited, I am very excited and I take huge comfort in the way we have prepared ourselves, and the players and the management around me.
“Instead of trying to run away from it, I am really looking forward to getting the season off, and even better that it is against the Bulls,” he said.
Fleck named a strong team with a good mix of youth and experience for the clash, and said that he is hoping this match signals the start of an exciting new era for the DHL Stormers.
“These guys have grown up together, they have been at the Western Province Rugby Institute together, they have been in successful Under-21 sides together, and now it is a new era in DHL Stormers rugby and these guys have got that opportunity,” he added.
The clash against the Vodacom Bulls kicks off at 17.15 on Saturday, February 27 at DHL Newlands. Tickets are available through computicket, the iamastormer.com website and at the stadium box office.
