Robert du Preez’s homecoming is one of several combustible backstories to Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup clash at DHL Stadium which promises fireworks when the DHL Stormers host the Sale Sharks.
The eldest of the three Du Preez brothers, 31-year-old Robert has carved out a distinguished career in England, but his rugby journey began on South African soil and it was in Cape Town where his professional career took flight.
A standout schoolboy at Kearsney College and the ‘Player that Rocks’ for Stellenbosch University's Maties during the 2014 Varsity Cup, Robert’s rise saw him switch Durban for Cape Town to play for Western Province and the DHL Stormers from 2015 to 2017.
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 22-20 reverse.
Du Preez joined Sale later that year, initially on loan, and has since become a key player in his 148 appearances, winning the Premiership Rugby Cup in 2020, and maintaining a 60% win rate for the Manchester club.
Du Preez has faced his former team before. Last season, he contributed nine points in a narrow loss to the Stormers, with his 40m penalty in the second half threatening a comeback before the Stormers sealed the match with a stunning breakaway try. 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 work rate 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.
Fans will remember last season’s thriller in Cape Town, where winger Leolin Zas and loose-forward Hacjivah Dayimani produced moments of magic to secure a dramatic 31-24 Stormers victory against Sale.
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 Gallagher English Premiership loss at Gloucester and boosting the club’s chances of advancing to the Investec Champions Cup playoffs.
For the Stormers, it’s about clinching their first win in the competition this season, and proving to themselves that the momentum gained from successive Vodacom URC derby victories was the start of something special.