Cape Town — Like any South African rugby player, Nama Xaba has dreams of representing the Springboks.
The Stormers openside flank said he got a taste of what that would entail in last week’s 16-16 draw with Ospreys in Swansea, where heavy rain made the match almost unplayable.
Handling was difficult, with the ball spilling out of the grasp of the ball-carrier almost at will, and it came down to a goal-kicking shoot-out between flyhalves Manie Libbok and Stephen Myler – with honours even.
But Xaba feels that the experience will stand him in good stead for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash against Cardiff (8.35pm kickoff), where more rain has been forecast for the Welsh capital.
“I don’t think you get those conditions often in South Africa, especially when you’re playing URC mostly in the summer. Speaking to some of the guys afterwards, that was maybe the closest to what it will feel for me if I get a (Test) opportunity one day,” Xaba said.
“Regardless of whether it rains or it’s dry, we know what we need to get right for a good performance on Saturday.”
Ospreys were loaded with experienced Welsh internationals such as Alun Wyn Jones, Adam Beard and Tomas Francis in the pack, and utilised their “gamesmanship” to disrupt the Stormers in the mauls and breakdowns.
But while Cardiff aren’t as strong – although they do have classy No 8 Taulupe Faletau in their ranks – the Capetonians are intent on handling that kind of pressure upfront.
“Everything felt like a contest, especially at breakdown time. I felt that there were times when they probably had the upperhand, so for me personally, that’s something I think I’ve been brought into the team for,” Xaba said.
“It’s not just about the defensive breakdown, but it’s more about the offensive breakdown and how we protect the ball, to give the backs and everyone else a good platform. That’s something that will be a big work-on.
“It all depends on what the ref sees. So, it’s always about doing the best you can, and making sure you always present the best picture for the referee.
“It’s all about momentum, and whoever gets the upperhand in those collisions will always get the decisions from the referee.
“We knew the sort of players they have – Alun Wyn Jones – and we knew the tricks they would come up with to stop the momentum that we wanted.
“From a breakdown perspective, it wasn’t so much physicality, but it was just their speed – to make everything a contest, and we just didn’t adapt quick enough to make sure we got quick ball, and that slowed down our momentum.”
Meanwhile, in a late boost for the Stormers, tighthead prop Sazi Sandi has been cleared to face Cardiff after an appeal to overturn his three-week suspension was successful.
The URC announced on Wednesday that after serving one week of his ban following a red card against Edinburgh for a dangerous tackle, Sandi exercised his right to appeal this last Tuesday.
However, it was not possible to convene a panel before the Stormers’ clash against Ospreys.
“An appeal panel consisting of Roddy Dunlop KC (Scotland), Jennifer Donovan (Ireland) and Nigel Williams (Wales) met on October 18 to review the appeal. The panel found that there was mitigating evidence to reduce the red card to a yellow card in the (Edinburgh) game, and therefore overturn the original sanction and expunging the red card from the player’s record,” the URC said.
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