Leighton Koopman
Coming from a family with rich Springbok and Western Province history, Dan du Plessis knows there is pressure on him, but as is typical of his calm demeanour in the Stormers’ backline, he is taking everything in his stride.
The 29-year-old has been a mainstay of the Stormers backline for the last three seasons and has been doing the job at 12 or 13 whenever required. Although he prefers playing next to the flyhalf, he will slot in wherever the team needs him.
His versatility is key for the inaugural United Rugby Championship (URC) winners, and he is again set to play an influential role against the Ospreys on Saturday (kick-off 7.15pm).
Even though he is not the youngest of centres around, he used the example of his fellow Stormers teammate, World Cup winner Deon Fourie, who made it into the national set-up at a very late age.
“I definitely still have the same ambitions and that is to play for the Springboks,” Du Plessis said this past week.
“If that stays my goal, I will improve week in and week out to get to that point where I hopefully can be part of the squad or Springbok set-up. Guys like Deon have shown us it is never too late to be called up. I think he was around 36 when he got his first one.
“He then went on to the World Cup and won one. So, the message is to never give up on that and work every week to realise that.”
Stormers assistant coach Dawie Snyman also believes Du Plessis can make it at the highest level.
“I believe he will still get his opportunity. Just the amount of work he puts in is phenomenal. He drives the team, not just on the field. He is playing great rugby. If he gets into that jumper, it will take a shovel to get him out of there.”
For now, though, Du Plessis will be focusing all his attention on helping his side get back to winning ways on Saturday. Their last clash at the DHL Stadium ended in a narrow Champions Cup defeat to La Rochelle in the quarter-finals.
The Cape side will now be chasing a spot among the top four on the URC points table to secure a home play-off in the tournament. They have five games to do this – three at home – starting with a visit from the Welsh club.
“They had a slow start to the season, but their recent performances have been very good,” Du Plessis said of the Ospreys.
“They’ve beaten Sale (Sharks) and Ulster recently. You can’t go into this game underestimating them. We are still doing our analysis and hard work.
“They are really good technically and have a good kicking game. They will also bring some big physicality.”