Marcel Theunissen has become an important cog in the Stormers set-up due to his ability to play in all three loose forward positions. Photo: BackpagePix
The competition among loose forwards in South Africa is always tough, considering the vast amount of resources in that position.
So, it helps if a player is able to operate in more than one of those roles, and that has seen someone like Marcel Theunissen become an important cog in the Stormers set-up.
The 24-year-old from Bloemfontein, who attended Grey College, is set to earn his 50th cap in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash against Leinster at Cape Town Stadium (7.05pm kick-off).
Theunissen’s versatility reminds one of a young Francois Louw, who was equally comfortable at No 8 and openside flank, and could fulfil the blindside flank role too when required for the Stormers and the Springboks.
Theunissen’s strength lies in his running lines, with his angles often resulting in him finding gaps in the opposition defence, while he is able to keep the ball alive through his offloading ability – looking for teammates on his shoulders.
Asked this week if he has a preferred position, he said: “I’ve decided, but I will do what’s best for the team. That’s a positive point of myself – I can play six, seven and eight. If they need me there, I will step up and do it.
“I am not too (concerned) about it, to just say I want to do this or I want to be this. So, I’m quite adaptable. If they need me on seven, I’ll play seven. If they need me on six or eight, I can also do that. But I actually enjoy playing seven and eight.
“I won’t necessarily say I want to carry the ball with the backs but I really like to carry the ball, and we have a lot of systems within our overall system, and sometimes it isn’t necessary to put your head into a breakdown if it won’t work.
“If there is an opportunity (for a turnover), I will always take it but I’m not going to run around on the field and look for those opportunities. I will rather stay in the system, and I enjoy attacking too.
“It’s a massive privilege (to earn 50 caps). It’s an honour to play in 50 Stormers games. I enjoy it here – I was here from the start at Under-19, Under-21, so I came through the ranks.
“So, to play my 50th game is a proud moment for me and my family, and I will go out and enjoy it, and give it my all.”
Theunissen played off the bench and replaced Nama Xaba at No 6 in last week’s 27-21 defeat to the Ospreys, and will hope to earn a start against Leinster.
But whether he is involved from the first whistle or not, he knows that the Stormers need to find their rhythm on attack again after an error-strewn display last week.
Leinster are also smarting from their 44-12 defeat to the Lions in Johannesburg, and even though their coach Leo Cullen said a similar team will face the Stormers, their second-stringers need to find a win to maintain their top spot on the log.
“It’s in our DNA (to offload and play attacking rugby) – that’s who we are. So, we are not going to change it. Maybe we must just be more decisive on it, and maybe just see when it’s on and when it’s not on,” Theunissen said.
“But we want to play rugby for our supporters, and the way we play rugby, I think they enjoy it. So, we are not going to take it away.
“We maybe sometimes need to just make better decisions in some areas of the field, and then we can keep on playing like we are playing.
“We spoke about it and have sorted it out, and we will move on and fix things this weekend.
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“Leinster isn’t a side that’s 44-12 (as bad as the scoreline suggests). They played at three o’clock at Ellis Park, and it’s always hot up there. For them to come from Dublin and play their first game in that heat, it’s quite tough for them.
“But I think it will be a different outfit on Saturday night, and I expect them to be much better than they were against the Lions.
“They are a good attacking side ... everyone knows it. We have spent a lot of time on our defence and analysing them. We will stop them.
“Our preparation for every game must be like a play-off game, and we must go with that mentality into the games to get a better position on the log.”
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