In a dramatic twist of fate, the Stormers have rolled out the red carpet for Pumas maestro Clinton Swart. With the new Vodacom URC season looming, this flyhalf finds himself plucked from relative obscurity to patch up a squad that’s looking more battered than a boxer at the end of a twelve-round slugfest.
Swart, a seasoned campaigner who's had stints with the Vodacom Bulls, Cheetahs, and Japan’s Toyota Verblitz, is no stranger to the rough and tumble of top-tier rugby. At 32, he’s set to inject some much-needed experience into a Stormers side that’s been left scrambling after a series of unfortunate injuries. Jean-Luc du Plessis is the latest casualty, with an ankle injury that’s benched him for a good three to four months. That’s left young Jurie Matthee as the last flyhalf standing—until now.
With Springboks stars like Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu off on national duty, and Manie Libbok chasing the yen in Japan, the timing couldn’t be better for Swart’s cape-side comeback.
“It’s all hands on deck,”
admitted a team insider. “Clinton’s not just a stop-gap. He’s got the skills to make a real impact.”While Matthee is penciled in to start against Leinster in Cape Town on September 26, don’t be surprised if Swart makes an early appearance. The team’s depth in the No 10 jersey has been about as deep as a kiddie pool, and Swart is just the kind of player who can hit the ground running.
And in a juicy side plot, whispers of Saracens sniffing around a Stormers target adds a sprinkle of spice to the mix. Whether that shakes things up further or not, one thing’s for sure: the Stormers’ URC opener just got a lot more interesting with Swart on board.
Teams to watch in the upcoming match include the Stormers and Leinster, setting the stage for what promises to be a thrilling kickoff to the season.