Ungerer ready for Bok challenge
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Stormers scrumhalf Stefan Ungerer is keen to reunite with Cobus Reinach next season while preparing for a showdown with Vodacom Bulls No 9 Embrose Papier on Saturday.
Ungerer and Reinach last shared a squad at the Sharks from 2013 to 2016. With Herschel Jantjies and Paul de Wet departing, Reinach's arrival from Montpellier will bolster the Stormers' half-back stocks.
“I am very excited about the prospect of sharing a dressing room with Cobus again. His experience will be of great value to us,” Ungerer said at training in Bellville on Wednesday.
“In Herschel and Paul we lose good players, but it’s great for the union to get a World Cup winner. I will learn a lot from him. He brings different qualities to the field. I’m excited that we’ll see him in a Stormers jersey.”
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While Ungerer and Reinach, a two-time World Cup winner, rarely featured together at the Sharks, next season they will be the Stormers' senior scrumhalves. For now, Ungerer is focused on the looming battle against Papier, who was recently named in a Bok alignment camp alongside Reinach.
“I have been playing against Embrose for many years and he has been very dangerous in the URC and Champions Cup series for the last few seasons," he said.
"He controls the game very well. We will have to keep an eye on Embrose, but also not draw too much attention to him and thus create space for another player.”
The Stormers travel to Loftus looking to respond after their narrow loss to Jake White's men in Cape Town earlier this month. However, Ungerer insists revenge is not on their minds.
“It’s about proving something to ourselves, rather than anyone else,” he said. “We want to put in a good performance – for the team, the club, and the fans.
"For a North-South derby, there is no need for any motivation from other sources. The players are ready, we are excited, and we know that we have to put in two weeks of hard work to be able to achieve a victory there.”
Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile/Gallo Images
The post Ungerer ready for Bok challenge appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
