Western Province's Louw Nel wants to seize opportunities in Currie Cup

With Western Province’s Stormers players still in hibernation and Evan Roos in the Springbok fold, loose forward Louw Nel is hoping to make the most of his opportunities in the Currie Cup.

Nel has been a beacon of light in Province’s first two matches during a difficult start to the competition. The No. 8 scored a brace of tries in their defeat to the Lions this past weekend, while also ranking among the players with the most carries in the match.

Province have had to juggle their resources in the Currie Cup. Nel, who was a fringe player for the Stormers during their previous United Rugby Championship campaign, has been sharing a dressing room with players from the club set-up, as well as a few mercenaries from the Springbok Sevens side.

This week, ahead of their match against Griquas in Kimberley, the team will also be boosted by some of their Junior Springboks, who were given a break after their triumphant exploits at the recent U20 World Championships. Players such as Junior Boks captain Riley Norton, Xola Nyali, Wandile Mlaba, Oliver Reid, Herman Lubbe, Siya Ndlozi, Dominic Malgas and Gino Cupido are expected to be back in the mix.

Nel is enjoying the game time after playing a bit-part role in the URC, and hopes that good performances in the Currie Cup will see him become a regular for the Stormers.

“The Currie Cup is a chance to get minutes under the belt, and that is ultimately how you improve as a player. In the URC I got a few minutes off the bench, so for me it’s nice to play week in and week out and build confidence,” Nel told reporters this week.

“It’s a great opportunity for us and the Junior Boks guys to put their hands up. There’s a lot of depth in the URC squad, but for us it’s a nice opportunity to prove ourselves and improve.

“There is a great energy in the Currie Cup, and I believe we are moving in the right direction.”

There is certainly no tougher place to learn your trade than playing Griquas on a hard pitch in Kimberley. It’s going to feel like the twilight zone for some of the Province players, who have trained in cold and wet conditions throughout this week.

However, the Cape side desperately need a win in this match to keep their semi-final hopes alive. They’ve had some good moments in the matches against the Bulls and Lions, but now need four or five points to kickstart their season.

“It’s always an honour to play in this jersey. I’m personally looking forward to the challenge of playing them in Kimberley,” said Nel.

“We respect them a lot — they are a good team and well-coached. They are also very physical. It’s difficult to go and play there, but we are looking forward to the challenge.

“It’s going to be important to get the points. We have built nicely over the last few weeks and we have learned from our mistakes. We know what to do better and I’m full of confidence that we can do better.”