Dobson: Malherbe the ultimate Stormer

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DHL Stormers coach John Dobson has paid tribute to Frans Malherbe ahead of the tighthead prop’s record-breaking 124th appearance for the franchise.

Malherbe will become the Stormers’ most-capped player when he runs out for their Vodacom United Rugby Championship match in Cardiff on Saturday, surpassing the legendary Schalk Burger.

“He’s probably the ultimate Stormer,” Dobson said on Friday. “He will go down in the annals of the history of the franchise as one of the greats.

“As a player, as a person, what he brings – his experience, his enthusiasm, his professionalism … he is an extraordinary human being.

“What Frans has achieved at the age of just 31 is incredible, if you think about some of the players who represented this team before him,” the coach added.

“He is a great example of a top team man and just his presence in the squad this week has given us a lift.”

Malherbe will form part of an all-Springbok front row on Saturday, with loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff and hooker Joseph Dweba set to start, having come off the bench against the Ospreys last week.

“Even without Kitsie and Frans, we probably expected a bit more from our scrumming in the first few games,” said Dobson. “Teams got us on the double shove once or twice on their own ball. We agreed that wasn’t the standard.

“Obviously, the arrival of Kitsie and Frans is a massive boost for us, especially on that [artificial] surface [at Cardiff Arms Park] where they can get a nice grip.”

Kitshoff has 122 caps for the Stormers and is also poised to move past Burger soon.

READ: Boks to fuel Stormers scrum in Cardiff

Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix

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Simon Borchardt