Dynamic Dayimani set to dazzle Dragons

Versatile loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani is expected to be given another opportunity to shine at No 8 for the Stormers when they face the Welsh Dragons in Gqeberha on Saturday.

A rib injury sustained on Bok duty is expected to keep regular Stormers No 8 Evan Roos on the sidelines for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship (URC) showdown at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (kickoff 2pm).

Dayimani impressed when the Stormers beat the Scarlets in Cape Town last week and he is likely to retain the No 8 jersey in Gqeberha.

“Hacjivah has been playing well at No 8 for us,” said Stormers assistant coach Rito Hlungwani. “He played No 8 quite a bit before when he was at the Lions.

“He is a versatile player and has covered wing as well.

“So Hacjivah has been doing well, and in the future we will consider playing him there again because he can cover both seven and eight comfortably.”

The Stormers are still deciding how to integrate their Bok players back into the squad after returning from their end-of-year tour.

Though some are expected to be rested, fringe players such as Deon Fourie and Salmaan Moerat could line up against the Dragons.

Prop Neethling Fouche, lock Gary Porter and flyhalf Kade Wolhuter are also expected to feature at the Bay stadium.

Porter impressed on his debut against the Scarlets after joining the Stormers from English Championship side Ealing Trailfinders in August.

He ran the line-outs in the absence of Marvin Orie, who was on Springbok duty.

If Orie is rested, Porter could get another opportunity to start against the Dragons.

“It was quite pleasing to see Gary get a chance,” Hlungwani said. “I met Gary for the first time in 2015 as a 19-year-old from Durban. I just remember he was such a skinny guy.

“He has had to fight all through his career. Gary didn’t play for SA Schools and when he arrived he was vying against promising locks.

“But this means he has a hard edge built out of resilience. Gary gained more experience at UCT while finishing his degree and then moved to England.

“We thought it was the right time to have him back. He is a Western Province boy who has come through the system.

“It was a proud moment, seeing him play on Saturday if I remember how he was when he was 19. I am a very proud coach.”

Stormers head coach John Dobson was pleased with the win over the Scarlets but believes his team could have been sharper in some areas.

“I thought we got away with one or two things at the start. We were under the pump a bit,” he said.

“Our defence after contestables was a bit tight and they almost exploited that.

“The way we hung in during the second half was good; the character of the team showed when Leolin Zas made that tackle in the corner right at the end there.

“Not our best performance in every department, like defence or our kicking game, but the character was outstanding.”

Dobson said building depth in the squad was crucial given the demands on his team this season competing in both the URC and the Heineken Champions Cup.

“We have used the most players in the URC so far,” he said. “Traditionally that is a bad stat, but in our case it is something we are reasonably proud of because we are trying to give guys opportunities.”