Springbok loose forward Evan Roos will be storming with the Stormers for the next three years.
The inaugural United Rugby Championship winners yesterday announced that the 24-year-old will stay in the Cape, where he “rediscovered” his rugby after failing to find his feet in Durban at the Sharks.
Roos is currently the premier No 8 for the Stormers, and will play a pivotal role in their final overseas match of the regular season tomorrow evening against Connacht (6.05pm kick-off, SA time) in Galway as they look to secure crucial points away from home.
The former Paarl Boys’ High pupil will remain in Cape Town until 2027 – the year of the Rugby World Cup in Australia – as he continues to push for a place in the Bok squad under returning head coach Rassie Erasmus.
With Duane Vermeulen retiring, there will definitely be a gap for Roos to compete alongside World Cup winners Jasper Wiese and Kwagga Smith for the jersey, while a host of other youngsters are breathing down their necks.
Although he’s had a few injury setbacks in his quest to stay at the top, Roos has come back stronger this season, and has been one of the Stormers’ top players in the URC and Champions Cup.
He will want to continue his fine form tomorrow evening in what could be a tricky clash in Ireland.
A win will all but secure a knockout match in the URC for the Cape side, while a loss without any points can leave them in a spot of bother before the final round robin game against the Lions in Cape Town on June 1.
According to Roos, staying at the Stormers was not a difficult decision to make.
We've got @evanroos4 staying true to the blue and white until at least 2⃣0⃣2⃣7⃣ #iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/q8w1ojlVh0
“My rugby career has been transformed here at the Stormers, and playing for this team means a lot to me,” he said in a statement yesterday.
“We have still got so much that we can achieve together, and I want to play a central role in the future success that is to come”.
Roos, alongside flanks Ben-Jason Dixon and Marcel Theunissen, will be central to the Stormers’ efforts to halt Connacht’s momentum at the Dexcom Stadium.
The visitors’ breakdown play has steadily improved throughout the season, and the loose trio and locks making a nuisance of themselves in defensive plays will go a long way in stopping the home side from being able to free up players like flyhalf Jack Carty, centre Bundee Aki and wing Mack Hansen.
Roos and Dixon will also be tasked to assist flyhalf Manie Libbok when the likes of Aki target the channel of the Stormers’ halfbacks on his bulldozing runs.
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson said Roos’ long-term extension is another vote of confidence in the direction the squad is heading in.
“He brings physicality, pace and most of all a fantastic attitude to everything he does, and we look forward to watching him continue to grow in our system,” Dobson said yesterday.
“At just 24, there is still plenty more to come from him.
“These extensions and a few more that will be announced soon show that the key players in this squad are committed to our vision, and have bought in to build something special over the next few years, which is very exciting.”
The Stormers recently announced that Dan du Plessis, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Ruben van Heerden all committed their long-term futures to the side, while veteran prop Steven Kitshoff will return to Cape Town alongside lock JD Schickerling.