Stormers captain Steven Kitshoff says his long friendship with Glasgow loosehead prop Oli Kebble will be put aside when the teams do battle in Cape Town on Friday night. DYLAN JACK reports.
Kebble played Super Rugby for the Stormers and in the Currie Cup for Western Province in the formative years of his professional career between 2012 and 2017.
His friendship with Kitshoff goes back even further as the two played against each other at high school and were teammates with the Junior Springboks when South Africa won the U20 World Championship in 2012.
The duo – along with hooker Scarra Ntubeni and tighthead Frans Malherbe – were part of the front-row depth that came through the Western Province age-group ranks to play for the Stormers.
Speaking ahead of the Stormers’ clash with Glasgow in Cape Town, the Stormers captain told media: “I have known Oli since school level and played against him at school. We played together at the SA U20s and a couple of seasons at the Stormers and I have played international rugby against him.
“He is a good, old friend of mine. It’s all about who can bugger up the other guy the worst. We will have a beer afterwards, but those 80 minutes will be enemy time.”
The Stormers currently top the South African conference and are in fifth place overall. A win on Friday night would effectively assure the Cape side of a place in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship playoffs.
It has, however, been a long and difficult road to this point for the Stormers, with plenty of behind-the-scenes drama taking place at Western Province Rugby over the past couple of years.
“This team, with our backs against the wall, say two years ago or a year ago, everyone was writing us off,” Kitshoff said. “A lot of credit needs to go to the coaching staff and the leadership in the squad. They just stood up and said that we are a proud union with a rich history, a lot of great clubs and players coming out of schools.
“For us, we had to defend that and the team has grown a lot and matured. We found our DNA and the players involved in the group. We have got a great understanding of what this team is about. We are a strong bunch of guys who will not give up easily and will fight to the end.
“These wins have grown our confidence, but rugby-wise, we have always been a strong outfit. For us, it’s just to manifest that and carry the Stormers name on.”
Photo: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
