Springboks flanker Paul de Villiers will lead the Stormers for the second consecutive time, debuting as captain in the United Rugby Championship (URC) match against Scarlets on Saturday afternoon at DHL Stadium (the match starts at 16:00).
De Villiers took the helm after injured captain Rohan Nel sustained a calf strain before the team's championship cup victory over Bristol Bears with a score of 49:12 last year. Now he intends to use this momentum in the URC match.
Although the game against Bristol was his debut as senior captain, De Villiers previously led the Junior Springboks and has leadership experience. This season he has also taken on a more responsible role in the Cape Town club and is one of the forwards who interacts with the referee when Nel is in the backline and far from the action.
In the absence of Bok Siya Kolisi and Damian Willemse, the fatcher will rely on players such as number eight Hakijiva Daimani, flanker Evan Roos, playmaker Sasha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, winger Seabelo Senatla, and fullback Warrick Gelant to act as senior voices for advice when necessary.
Before the resumption of URC matches, De Villiers stated that he does not want the captaincy role to affect his play. He naturally hopes to get more opportunities in the Springboks squad before the November matches in the Northern Hemisphere, so maintaining his excellent form in ball retention and possession remains his main priority.
De Villiers noted: 'I will try to ensure that this captaincy role does not affect my own play.' He added: 'It is important to me. I just want to feel comfortable in this position with the group and the team and connect with them. I think we did well collectively last weekend, especially with our discipline and how we responded to the coaching staff's messages during the break.' He expressed hope: 'I hope we can do it from the first whistle on Saturday and meet the plans and what we want to achieve. I am very excited about how this will turn out. We are surrounded by leaders, and that makes things easier, especially last weekend against Bristol.'
According to De Villiers, he is happy to face Scarlets, who may present a different challenge in the URC.
The Stormers remain undefeated at home after two games and intend to dominate this encounter to maintain this winning streak before the final home match against Ulster next week, ahead of the November break.