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Stormers will target young NSW Waratah Ben Horne
Iain Payten in Cape Town Stormers will target young NSW Waratah Ben Horne | The Daily Telegraph
May 09, 2008 12:00am
STORMERS captain Jean de Villiers has openly admitted his team will target NSW's teen centre Rob Horne on Sunday morning (AEST), believing the Waratahs rookie may still be mentally fragile.
The direct challenge came yesterday as the crafty coach of the high-flying South African side, Rassie Erasmus, also declared it was "black ball time" in his personal duel with Ewen McKenzie.
Horne, 18, has been identified by the fourth-placed Stormers as a potential weak link for NSW in the blockbuster clash at a sold-out Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
First forgetting Horne's name before diplomatically labelling him a "quality player", Springbok centre de Villiers finally conceded he planned to test out the youngster to see if he could handle the pressure.
"Sometimes the mental challenge that a contest each week brings (in Super 14), it might be a problem if you are that young," De Villiers said.
"You might not be mentally up for it week after week. I might have to throw a few chirps his way and see how he responds."
The midfield battle is set to be a key factor in the must-win clash for both sides.
De Villiers and Gcobani Bobo were menacing in attack in the Stormers' win over the Brumbies last week.