Stormers star bullish about Loftus move

A standout player of the Stormers’ 2021-22 Vodacom URC-winning campaign hopes leaving the Stormers for rivals Bulls helps to fully realise his Springbok dream.

The 29-year-old Paul de Wet, who helped the Stormers capture the inaugural URC title three years ago, believes his reported two-year Bulls deal offers the best chance to represent the back-to-back world champions.

“I’ve actually been considering making a move for a while,” De Wet told Netwerk24. “The rotation between our scrumhalves lately I don’t think has brought out the best in any of us. You could never really get momentum in your game.”

Despite his March call-up to his first national alignment camp, De Wet felt his international prospects had stalled in Cape Town where he battled Herschel Jantjies and Stefan Ungerer for the Stormers No 9 jersey.

“There’s no guarantee that I’ll play for the Bulls again. I just felt like I had to take a chance, to at least give myself that opportunity elsewhere,” he said. “I’d still like to play for the Springboks and just felt like it wouldn’t happen while I was with the Stormers.”

He acknowledged fierce competition awaits at Loftus Versfeld, where he’ll compete with seven-Test Embrose Papier, Zak Burger and Keagan Johannes.

“I honestly don’t think a team will say to me when I arrive, ‘here’s the No 9 jersey’. You’ll find great competition everywhere,” De Wet added. 

“It’s just like at the Stormers, where there were always four or five very competitive scrumhalves. You were never sure of your place.”

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