Stormers wary of Dayimani factor
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Ben Loader and Dawie Snyman have acknowledged the threat of one of their own, Hacjivah Dayimani, when the Stormers and Racing 92 clash in Paris on Saturday.
Fresh off a huge result in Cape Town, the Stormers will look to secure a last 16 spot in the Investec Champions Cup when they face the French giants in the final round of EPCR pool fixtures.
Dayimani joined Racing in 2024 after three years with the Stormers and Western Province. A former Junior Springbok star, the charismatic loose forward first caught attention while playing for the Lions.
Known for his try-scoring breaks and speed, the versatile Dayimani was part of the Stormers team that won the inaugural URC, and has showcased a harder edge to his game since his move to Paris La Defense Arena as he continues to complement athleticism with physicality.
"We know Hacjivah really well and he'll also have some inside information from our point of view," said Snyman during a Stormers conference on Monday.
"It will be great to see him, he's a great Stormer and a great man.
"You need to be aware when he has the ball and hopefully we can contain him. If he gets a bit of space, he's dangerous, but luckily we've seen a lot of that in training.
"We know his habits so hopefully we can put him down."
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"I've experienced a lot of that in training [his threat in the wide channels] and also in games," winger Loader added.
"Most of the time he's been on my side. If he does end up playing it will be a good challenge.
"It's always nice playing against your friends because you go a little bit harder. It will be interesting to face him."
The Stormers, though, are tapping up fullback Warrick Gelant on inside knowledge on their weekend opponents. Gelant returned to Cape Town last year after a brief stint with Racing following the URC title-winning campaign in 2022.
"I actually said to the guys they must speak to Warrick," Snyman said.
"Obviously, he wasn't there when [Stuart] Lancaster started coaching, so there will be changes in terms of the way they play and how he does things.
"Warrick knows the players that played there.
"There will be a lot of individual chats with Warrick to tap into his knowledge on what they can bring and how they play."
Photo: Franco Arland/Getty Images
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