Waratahs winger Rob Horne is looking forward to facing the hostilities of Cape Town as the Waratahs attempt to mount some momentum.
Horne will line up in his second game back from injury as the Waratahs backline begins to take shape.
An injury-riddled start to the year has been somewhat corrected, with Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale resuming their 10-12 combination and Horne back in the side on the wing, after starting the year at 13.
The luxury of picking an identical backline week-on-week has been rare for the Waratahs but with Israel Folau finally stringing consecutive games together in the midfield, among a number of moves foreshadowed in preseason, Horne said they could hopefully build on their potential.
“It’s a brutal game so it’s always going to be a few ins and outs, a few knocks and bruises so it’s nice to get that relatively same backline,” he said.
“We’ve got a similar team out there and it’s nice to be able to build a performance so hopefully we can take a lot from that. “
The last time the Waratahs won in Cape Town was 2014, a game that was a turning point in their championship season.
Horne said he was in “rugby jail” for that game and would relish the chance to line up there on Sunday morning (AEST).
“It’s one of the great rugby venues,” he said.
“They’ve got passionate supporters, who are passionate about their team.
“It’s certainly a place you love to play at because of that but the flipside to that is the amount of pressure that the team and the crowd puts on you.
“We’ve got to stick to our process and be super focused and hope we’ve got the game to do the job.”
It’s been a recurring feeling throughout the Waratahs group this week, all ready to embrace the challenge of Newlands as they attempt to turn their season around.
While the Stormers boast one of the best defensive records in the competition, it’s their attack that has become more of a threat this season and Horne said they were all too aware of that.
“To get a win anywhere away (from home) you have to play through to the bell,” he said.
“It has been spoken about, it’s a new, young Stormers team and they’re playing a way that has been coming over the last two seasons.
“It’s an expansive brand and they’ve got a lot of young guys with a lot of enthusiasm so I think it’ll be one to watch for sure."
