For Ruhan Nel, captaining the DHL Stormers is not only an honour and a privilege, but also a big boost to his game.
The 34-year-old centre has been at the helm of the Cape Town-based team as they have won their first three Vodacom URC matches to sit on top of the table.
He’s now looking to lead them to further victories as they take on the Italian job with back-to-back games away to Zebre Parma and Benetton Rugby.
The Port Elizabeth-born Nel has been with the DHL Stormers since 2019, having had previous spells with the Lions, Griquas and Western Province, but this is the veteran’s first stint as captain.
“It’s a massive honour,” he declares.
“When I was younger, I always used to say I don’t think I will ever be a captain, I just play with too much emotion. My heart is on my sleeve.
“But it’s been an absolutely great experience. It’s obviously something a lot of people dream about, to lead out their team one day, and especially a team like the Stormers. So it’s been good.
“Ever since I stepped into this role, I almost feel like I’ve been forced to be a bit calmer and a bit more level-headed on the field, which has been good for my game as well.
“You are much more aware, your finger is much more on the pulse of the game, so I actually feel it has been doing me good.
“I’ve been pretty comfortable in the role. At 13, you can be isolated from the scrums and lineouts, but there are the likes of JD (Schickerling) in the lineouts and Neethling (Fouché), who have captained the side before.
“This is not a one-man show. We have great leaders on the field, who have been helping me and making the job a bit easier.
“I am just really privileged and honoured to be in this position.”
The former South African Sevens star, who made close to 150 appearances for the Blitzboks, has provided mature leadership so far this season, while also serving as a key figure in a miserly defence.
Remarkably, the Stormers have conceded just ten points in their opening three league matches, nilling both champions Leinster Rugby and the Scarlets either side of a 26-10 victory over the Ospreys.
“When it comes to defence, it obviously shows a lot how much a team cares for one another,” said Nel.
“Only leaking two tries in three weeks shows that the boys are really putting in some hard work and how we care for each other.
“We are happy with the start we have made. I am never going to complain about a win.”
Having followed up two home victories with a 34-0 success in Llanell, the Cape Town team now travels to Parma and Treviso with a clear objective.
“We are looking to make this the most successful Stormers tour yet,” said Nel.
“We want to go three from three. To make that happen, we have to have certain things in place.
“If the set piece, lineout and scrums are functioning properly and if our breakdowns are quick, opportunities automatically come from that.
“If we are a little bit sloppy in those things, we can’t get into our natural flow. So a big focus is on us carrying the ball into contact, the breakdown and kick return being solid, and through that we will get opportunities to open up.”
Head coach John Dobson is also setting his sights on a triumphant tour and says the kind of defensive effort shown in posting another clean sheet against the Scarlets will be key to that.
“Right to the end, the boys kept defending like we were on our try-line,” he said.
“They were chasing kicks, and that was special. It is something you can’t coach.
“We can still tweak a few things with the ball in hand. We would love to get our attack going, but the focus is to win on this tour.
“I don’t want to sound overconfident, but this is a great chance for us to get three wins on tour.
“We have had poor starts in URC one and four, and reasonable starts in two and three. The difference it makes to your camp when you start well, from the style of rugby, to communication, to selection policy and bravery is immense.
“To not feel as if you have a knife against your throat is important. So we want to have as good a start as possible. Like Ruhan said, we want to try and make this the most successful Stormers tour.
“In a league like this, which is a marathon, every game is important because you have to be hosting play-offs and to get that you have to win away games. So it is really important for us to make a statement.”
To use Dobson’s words, the Stormers are being boosted by “a platoon” heading for Italy, with Salmaan Moerat, Warrick Gelant, Clinton Swart, Oli Kebble, and Adre Smith flying out to join the group.