John Dobson and his Stormers coaching staff have secured the signature of imposing loose-forward Evan Roos in what is another statement re-signing for the Cape Town-based franchise.
Dobson, the first Stormers coach to win an international title with the 2021/22 inaugural United Rugby Championship, is central to players of Roos’s quality wanting to stay in Cape Town, win matches and titles with the Stormers and, by extension, put themselves on Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus’s radar.
Roos on Thursday confirmed his commitment to the Stormers until 2027. It is a massive statement from Dobson, his coaching support staff and the new ownership Red Disa Consortium (RDC) that Cape Town has the potential to be the most sought-after rugby destination on the global club circuit.
Dobson, born, bred and raised on rugby in Cape Town, was schooled at Bishops, became an institution as a player at the University of Cape Town, played club rugby for Northerns Avonwood in the Western Province club competition and played provincial rugby for Western Province League.
Dobson is the reason so many players want to come to Cape Town and return to Cape Town and so many, already a part of the Stormers, want to stay in Cape Town.
Dobson, a bulldog as a hooker, has lost none of his competitive spirit as a coach, but it is a role that has suited his intellect, his rugby intellect, his personality as an individual and, especially, his ability to manage and motivate players.
Dobson, who coached the Western Province under 21s and the Western Province Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup teams to titles, has prospered as the head coach of the Stormers and seamlessly slotted into his role as director of rugby, a portfolio that includes his continuation as the Stormers head coach.
Dobson is the reason so many players want to come to Cape Town and return to Cape Town and so many, already a part of the Stormers, want to stay in Cape Town. The coach is the biggest gift to rugby in Cape Town.
Dobson gets Cape Town and he gets Western Province rugby. His history speaks to this, his genetics speak to this and the influence of his late father, the renowned rugby historian and referee Paul Dobson, speaks to this.
It is because of Dobson that Damian Willemse re-signed with the Stormers until 2027. Willemse can name his price anywhere in Europe or Japan. He chose Dobson as his coach and the Stormers as his team.
Willemse, schooled at Paul Roos in Stellenbosch, was the dominant flyhalf talent in the junior ranks and is rated as one of the very best backline players in international rugby. He can play No 10, 12 and 15, and would comfortably slot into either wing if the situation demanded it.
Dobson, along with backline coach Dawie Snyman and defence coach Norman Laker, has been an integral part of Willemse’s growth from schoolboy sensation to the player he is today.
Willemse aside, the Stormers last week confirmed the re-signing of the mercurial and super talented Sacha-Feinberg Mngomezulu, who has committed his immediate future to the Stormers.
Mngomezulu was a star for Bishops as a flyhalf, transferred that form to the WP and South African Schools squads and the Junior Springboks, and led the Western Province under 21s to the title last season. He is just 22-yearsold but is playing his third season for the Stormers and has been invited to Erasmus’s Springbok alignment camp.
Roos’s signature is a compliment to the powerhouse schoolboy rugby environment in the Western Province, with the loose-forward a product of Paarl Boys High.
Roos, who has played five Tests for the Springboks, can play No 8, 7 and 6 and is particularly strong as one of the standout carriers of the ball in the United Rugby Championship.
Roos, in 13 URC matches, has carried the ball 166 times, which is the fourth most in the league, and has 88 successful carries for the second most impact in the league. He has also had a 92% return in his tackling and ranks in the top 10 in turnovers won and offloads made. The one area in which he must improve is his discipline and he has conceded the second-most penalties and turnovers in the league.
It is an area of his game that will be fixed and the more he matures, the greater the discipline will be.
Roos’s work rate, on the ball and off it, is among the best in the league and he has started in all his 15 Stormers matches this season, 13 in the URC and two in the Champions Cup. He averages 77 minutes a game and has played more than 1,000 minutes for the Stormers this season.
Roos is an investment, and he is one more example of Dobson’s belief in local talent and ability to nurture the very best schoolboy talent into the most potent of professional players.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.