JJ Kotze will bring up a special milestone if selected against the Lions in Johannesburg, but for the Stormers hooker, the bigger job is restoring pride up front.
The 25-year-old, a product of Paul Roos Gymnasium, is in line to play his 50th match for the Cape side – a mark he admits once felt like a distant dream.
“It was tough to finish my degree. I had to take a lot of time away from the Stormers and they were forgiving and supportive in helping me get my degree,” Kotze said of balancing his rugby with qualifying as a physiotherapist.
“To keep playing for them and to get to 50 matches … if you had told me as a kid that I would play just one match for the Stormers, I would have accepted it with joy. Now my 50th is on the horizon. I get goosebumps just talking about it.”
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Kotze was the starting hooker in the 2021-22 Vodacom URC final against the Bulls and has steadily become a key cog in John Dobson’s pack. But sentiment will count for little on the Highveld.
The Stormers’ lineout misfired in recent defeats to the Sharks, and the responsibility will fall squarely on Kotze and his fellow forwards to fix it against a combative Lions outfit.
“It’s definitely something we’ve worked on,” he said. “Our lineouts were good early in the season and then there was a bit of a dip in the two matches against the Sharks. We want to focus on the basics again and raise our standards.”
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With two big derbies against the Lions and Bulls looming, the stakes extend beyond log points.
“The next two matches are hugely important. The South African Shield is at stake and we also want to return to the standard we set at the start of the season.”
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Photo: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images