Holmes can handle Minnie

Gallo Images

SUPER JOURNEY: Tyrone Holmes spins out a pass during Stormers practice at Newlands yesterday. Holmes has travelled a long road in rugby, but has finally cracked the big time as he will start at openside flank in Saturdays Super Rugby derby against the Lions. Picture: Carl Fourie, Gallo Images

Ashfak Mohamed

TYRONE HOLMES may be a new name in the Stormers ranks, but the loose forward who hails from Fish Hoek has enough of a rugby pedigree to counter the threat of Lions poacher Derick Minnie at Newlands on Saturday.

Holmes was a surprise inclusion at openside flank by coach Allister Coetzee yesterday. Coetzee explained that his hand had been forced somewhat by the Super Rugby regulations which state that players signed from April 1 onwards are not eligible for the playoffs.

This means that Canadian No 8 Jebb Sinclair cannot take part in the playoffs if the Stormers qualify, so he has been pushed to the bench, with star loose forward Siya Kolisi shifting over to his preferred position at the back of the scrum from No 6. With Don Armand coming in at blindside flank, the Stormers look a bit thin due to injuries to Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Burger, Nick Koster and Nizaam Carr.

Coetzee is hopeful that Burger and Koster will return for the Rebels game on July 14, and Vermeulen a week later. The Cape Times understands that Kolisi will start at No 8 against the Cheetahs next week as well.

They will face a huge test against a Lions side that may be in disarray due to the suspension of coach John Mitchell, but who still boast a formidable loose trio in Minnie, Grant Hattingh and captain Josh Strauss.

Minnie made his name in last year’s Currie Cup as an aggressive opensider who is outstanding on the ground and carries the ball strongly, while Hattingh was the standout player for Maties in this year’s Varsity Cup with his devastating runs and lineout-jumping ability. Strauss led the Lions to Currie Cup glory last year with his energetic displays.

Holmes will make his Super Rugby debut, but the 26-year-old has been around a long time and built up enough experience not to be overwhelmed by Saturday’s clash. He has had training stints with French club Toulon and English team Northampton, while he also played two seasons for another English side, Cornish Pirates from Cornwall, who play in the Championship (one level below the Premiership).

Holmes has featured for Griquas in the Currie Cup too, and had a big role in Hamiltons winning the national club title in 2009. He is a fetcher flank who is abrasive and works hard at the breakdown, which has been a big feature of his play for the champion Western Province Vodacom Cup team this season.

He is also a solid defender and will complement the two big ball-carriers in Kolisi and Armand against the Lions. Kolisi’s work-rate on attack and defence will be vital at No 8. The last time he played in that position was for the WP Vodacom Cup team last year, but he has all the skills and class to deal with the challenge.

Armand is a big unit and will be an important lineout option alongside Kolisi in the loose trio, while he is also a reliable ball-carrier. He is the biggest of the three loose forwards at 1.91m and 112kg, so his size will be important to counter the robust Minnie, Hattingh and Strauss.

As expected, Coetzee has rested Eben Etzebeth and Steven Kitshoff, while Bryan Habana will be a substitute. Fullback Joe Pietersen missed his third consecutive day of training at Newlands yesterday, but the coach said that he will play on Saturday.

Meanwhile, promising Stormers lock Quinn Roux has signed a one-year deal with Irish side Leinster. Roux made a big impact in the Stormers’ victory over the Bulls at Loftus when he stole a crucial lineout and threw a long cut-out pass to Kolisi that led to Habana’s winning try, but is fifth-in-line at lock.

Coach Coetzee said that Eben Etzebeth, Andries Bekker, Rynhardt Elstadt and De Kock Steenkamp have all excelled in the second row, but he added that Roux is set to return to the Cape next year.

The Stormers will hope that Roux will develop similarly to Bulls lock Juandré Kruger, who left Pretoria for English club Northampton for two seasons due to the presence of Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw and Flip van der Merwe, and has returned to play his way into the Springbok team.

Coetzee added that wing Danie Poolman has joined another Irish side Connacht in the hope of qualifying for Ireland, while flyhalf Kurt Coleman is on loan at SWD before the Currie Cup starts in August.

STORMERS TEAM

15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (capt), 11 Gerhard van den Heever, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Siya Kolisi, 7 Don Armand, 6 Tyrone Holmes, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 De Kock Steenkamp, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Deon Carstens. Bench: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Quinn Roux, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Bryan Habana.