VIDEO: Stormers ready to 'fire some shots' at Du Preez-laden Sharks

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The Stormers won't be intimidated by the quality or size of the opposition and will continue to 'fire shots', even when some of those are blanks.

The Stormers are anxious to get their European campaign off the ground, but on Saturday host a Sale Sharks team loaded with some serious South African muscle.

Sixth in Pool Four, having come second best in their opening two Champions Cup ties, the Cape Town outfit knows the size of the mountain they must scale.

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Impressive United Rugby Championship wins against Lions and Sharks during the festive period will ensure they will be confident of their chances of getting off the pool basement.

As for Sale Sharks, fourth in Pool Four, impressive wins over Racing 92 in the Champions Cup and Exeter Chiefs and Bristol Bears in the Premiership in December mean they head to the Southern hemisphere off the back of some strong recent outings.

Seasoned centre Ruhan Nel, 33 with 100-odd caps for Western Province and the Stormers, said they are trying not to put too much pressure on themselves by turning the next two rounds into 'must-win' fixtures.

"[The losses in] the ]beginning of the season put enough pressure on us," Nel told @rugby365com, adding that they are looking to build on the two URC wins.

"Those wins gave us a lot of confidence."

Turning to the collection of South African players in the Sharks' wider squad - the Du Preez brothers Robert, Dan and Jean-Luc, as well as Ernst van Rhyn - Nel said they know what is coming.

You can add in names like Le Roux Roets, Alex Groves, Nick Schonert and Hyron Andrews.

(WATCH as seasoned Stormers centre Ruhan Nel talks about the visit of a Sale Sharks team loaded with South Africans....)

"It is very interesting," he said, adding: "We won the URC with Ernst [van Rhyn in 2022] and the Currie Cup with Rob [du Preez] in 2017 - who went on to win it [Currie Cup] with his brothers for the Sharks against us [the Stormers] the following year.

"It is always nice to play against a couple of South African boys when they come here.

"These are some big South African boys coming here, so it will be a physical encounter - it will be a nice challenge for us."

For Robert du Preez it is a 'homecoming' of sorts.

The eldest of the three Du Preez brothers, 31-year-old Robert has carved out a distinguished career in England, but his journey began on South African soil and it was in Cape Town where his professional career took flight.

However, his road to Sale was paved with setbacks.

Selected along with Jean-Luc and Dan for the Springboks in 2018, Robert's Test debut against Wales in Washington D.C. ended in heartbreak after a costly charge down in the final minutes resulted in Rassie Erasmus' tenure as Bok coach beginning with a 20-22 reverse.

Du Preez joined Sale later that year, initially on loan, and has since become a key player in his 148 appearances, maintaining a 60 percent win rate for the Manchester outfit.

Robert du Preez has faced his former team before.

Last season, he contributed nine points in a narrow loss to the Stormers.

Now, he returns to Cape Town with even more experience, ready to lead Sale's charge against a Stormers side bolstered by a famously large, and vocal, home crowd.

Ernst van Rhyn, another South African forward for the Sharks, is also a former Maties star who played more than 50 matches for the Stormers under coach John Dobson.

Van Rhyn has been a standout performer since joining Sale in 2023; a pillar of consistency in the trenches his workrate is the stuff of legend and he has a big appetite for defence – attributes Van Rhyn will be eager to drive home against his former club.

Du Preez's twin brothers are terrifying behemoths, renowned for their ball skills as much as brute force.

Key cogs in Sale's formidable pack, Jean-Luc and Dan are dynamic in the tight loose, combining raw physicality in the carry with a penchant for finding ways to offload in the tackle.

For the likes of Van Rhyn and the Du Preezs, Saturday's clash is a chance to shine in front of their countrymen, reviving mid-table Sale from a disappointing Premiership loss at Gloucester and boosting the club's chances of advancing to the Champions Cup play-offs.

Nel also spoke of the Sale Sharks' hard defensive line, a rush defence that is also very popular in South Africa.

"People do the same to us, trying to take the sting out of the initial rush and absorbing.

"They have a big pack of forwards, so we are under no illusion it will be physical.

"We have to front up and absorb it."

He admitted that between the French team, Toulon, back in December and the South African derbies, the Stormers have had their share of physical encounters.

"It will get even more physical as the competition moves forward."

However, the opposition will not stop them from 'firing some shots' and playing their expansive brand - even though they may not have been as clinical as they would have liked to be.

"It is about us expressing ourselves and if they come off, they come off.

"If they don't, we reset and go again. They are what has made us good in the past and are making us good now.

"In URC One, Two and even Three - it is not about excruciation, but that unpredictability we have on the field.

"It is guys like Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu], Manie [Libbok] and Warrick [Gelant] - telling those guys: 'Express yourself, what happens, happens'.

"For us it is about going out there and firing shots."

@king365ed
@rugby365com

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