Hooker Scarra Ntubeni has played for the DHL Stormers for over a decade and is closing in on a century of caps. With 96 DHL Stormers caps to his name, the amiable front row forward is set to join an elite club, which currently features just 10 players.
He was in action for the first time this season on Saturday, when he played the first 50 minutes of the clash with Benetton in Treviso and says that he enjoyed the challenge.
“I hadn’t played in about seven weeks and it was good to get back on the park. I was really happy to start and I played about 50 minutes and felt I could still go on,” he said.
The 32-year-old said that after the disappointing three-point loss it will be important for the team to stay focused on what they can control in terms of their own performance against Munster this weekend.
“We need to get back on the horse and once we get some wins behind our backs the confidence will grow, and then winning becomes a habit.
“Losing two games in a row is tough but I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel and just execute better and everyone be on the same page. This is when we need guys to step up and take leadership roles – know your job, do your job,” he said.
Ntubeni highlights this weekend’s challenge as an opportunity for the forwards to show that they can mix it with the best packs in the Vodacom URC.
“We’re going to be playing some internationals this weekend, especially in the forward pack. We’re really proud as forwards, and we’ve let ourselves down a bit lately,” he said.
“We’ve tried over the past few seasons to be one of the better packs, and there’s a lot of pressure on us to pull through for the backs,” he said.
