Wandisile Simelane turns fullback chance into momentum in a Stormers jersey

The Stormers’ Wandisile Simelane is getting rather tired of people asking him what his preferred position is after two fantastic appearances at fullback in their opening United Rugby Championship matches.

Simelane, normally at home at centre, has been thrust into the No 15 jersey for the start of the Stormers’ URC campaign following injuries to key players such as Warrick Gelant. But Simelane has had top outings against Leinster and the Ospreys, showing off his brilliant running skills, while his positional play has also been good.

The Stormers’ media manager, Michael de Vries, mentioned during a media conference this week that he heard Gelant give Simelane advice and praise in equal measure on the sidelines during those matches.

Simelane was quick to confirm Gelant’s help but also singled out a few of his teammates and coaches who helped him make the seamless transition from centre to fullback.

“My teammates have helped me a lot. Warrick, Dan (du Plessis) and Ruan (Nel), our coaches – the amount of time and energy spent towards the team comes from a place of us all actually wanting to do well,” said Simelane.

“It sounds very cliché, but when they picked me at 15, the guys around me made it so easy for me to just adapt,” said Simelane.

Simelane has been in and out of the Stormers’ team over the last few years, and moving to fullback has – ironically enough – provided him with a platform to show what he can do and build some personal momentum during his time with the Cape side.

The Stormers, however, may call up Springboks such as Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for their three-match URC tour to Wales and Italy. Both those players are more than comfortable playing in the No 15 jersey.

However, Simelane’s form and performances over the last two weeks may see coach John Dobson pick him at fullback again this weekend and give Willemse and Feinberg-Mngomezulu the week to recover following their workload in the Rugby Championship over the last month.

“You only get better as a player when you are playing, and you are playing more regularly. It will help everything – it will help with confidence, it will help with decision-making,” said Simelane.

“I do understand that it requires a massive squad effort for us to be sharp towards the business end of the competition. But if you offer me playing more or playing at centre, it would definitely be to play.”