Comment by Leighton Koopman
While Evan Roos will be focused on solidifying his loose trio combination with Deon Fourie and Ben-Jason Dixon over the next couple of games, the Stormers’ No 8 can also rejuvenate his Springbok ambitions with some strong performances.
The 25-year-old won’t have a better opportunity to do it than in the next three local derbies in the United Rugby Championship.
The Stormers will play the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium next Saturday (2pm kick-off), while there will also be a trip up to Ellis Park to face the Lions and the return North-South Derby in Pretoria.
Strength and Conditioning Coach Riefaat Jappie gives us some insights into how the team is preparing to hit match week at full tilt.
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Those three matches are where Roos will come up against fellow players also pushing for Bok honours, and they will not stand back for each other as they try to impress national coach Rassie Erasmus ahead of the Test season later this year.
The world champions will face Italy (July 5 and 12) and Georgia (July 19) which will give Erasmus and his coaches the perfect opportunity to give more experience to young Boks.
Roos was injured in the middle of the international season last year, and sat on the sideline for six months after shoulder surgery, missing out on the back-end of the Rugby Championship and the November Tests in Europe.
Since his return off the bench for the Stormers, he’s gone from strength to strength, taking each game as it comes in looking to regain his form.
The bruiser has already put in some strong performances for his franchise, and is well on the way to where he was before the injury.
The injury to Bulls loosie Elrigh Louw will certainly open up another spot in the Bok squad, and Roos will be challenged by the likes of Cameron Hanekom and Mpilo Gumede at the Bulls, Stormers teammate Dixon and the Sharks’ Phepsi Buthelezi, while Francke Horn at the Lions has been knocking on the Springbok door for a while now.
While getting back into the national side would be the icing on the cake, Roos is solely focused on getting things right at the Stormers over the next few months.
“It’s good to be back.”
“It’s good to be back,” Roos said recently after returning to action.
“I had a good break, but I am happy I can do what I love again. This was my first major injury, and I was out for almost half a year. When you are out for so long, you realise how massive the privilege it is to be doing what we do.”
He had some time over the last few months to think about where he wants to take his game, and the loose forward has shifted his focus away from being the enforcer who finds himself in the middle of scuffles.
Roos wants to be the guy that takes the team forward with his carry metres, and the one who puts his body on the line on attack and defence.
Recently against Racing 92 in the Champions Cup, he was the recipient of a nasty blow to the cheek, but despite the head contact, he soldiered on – although there were fears he was injured again.
In the previous week against Sale Sharks at Cape Town Stadium, a scuffle broke out, and where Roos would normally have his hands full fending off the opposition, he turned around and walked away from the melee.
That shows the newfound level of maturity he plays with, and reinforces his commitment to the Stormers’ cause and wanting to help the team win weekly.