DHL Stormers stars Evan Roos and Warrick Gelant have been in the headlines this season but captain Steven Kitshoff has been the driving force behind the Cape Town side’s quest for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship title.
Collecting around 150 scrums in 13 starts for the Stormers, Kitshoff conceded a total of four scrum penalties. The 56-cap Bok juggernaut is an overwhelming force on the front-row set-piece that has occasionally featured the all-Springbok combination of hooker Scarra Ntubeni and Frans Malherbe.
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“He’s absolutely perfect,” coach John Dobson told Vodacom URC. “He uses his body to serve the team, but also meticulously takes notes during team meetings, organizes team socials, is cheerful, positive, engaging and strikes a good balance between fun and professionalism.
“He’s an absolute star – an officer and a gentleman, as they say. There just isn’t a bad thing you can say about Steven Kitshoff.
Dobson’s resounding endorsement of the loose-headed Springbok prop wouldn’t be echoed by anyone of the number of tight-heads who’ve felt the back of Kitshoff’s head on their breastbones this season.
While Kitshoff also plays a starring role for the South African Shield champions as a powerful attacking ball carrier and defensive turnover titan, he offers the most value in a less tangible area.
“He’s an outstanding leader,” the coach said. “He is very good at keeping his players calm and has the unlimited respect of his teammates as a person.
“That’s the thing with Kitsie and Frans, their big thing as leaders is to look forward and make sure everyone around them is calm.”
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The value of composure for the Stormers cannot be overstated as their campaign has been fraught with difficulty. They have faced Edinburgh twice, first in October and then again in the quarter-finals last week, and only Roos, Gelant and Rikus Pretorius have started both fixtures.
Discipline was key to the effectiveness of a sometimes disparate team and the Stormers finished among the three least penalized teams in the URC.
“Kitsie knows very well where the referee is,” Dobson added. “He’s an international prop who played in a World Cup final, so he knows where the referees go.”
With the margins shrinking in the playoffs, it will be vital to know where Scottish referee Mike Adamson is when Kitshoff leads the Stormers against Ulster at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday to fight for a place in the final.
#VodacomURC – @mark_keohane and @Zels77 expect @THESTORMERS to get a place in @Vodacom #URC final when they face @UlsterRugby this Saturday. pic.twitter.com/ZGHrSeWY20
— SA Rugby Magazine (@SARugbymag) June 8, 2022
Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
