Dobson delighted as Blommetjies blossoms in Cape Town: 'He was exceptional'`

Western Province head coach John Dobson was delighted with how fullback Clayton Blommetjies has adapted to life in Cape Town since his switch from the Cheetahs last year.

The maverick 32-year-old Blommetjies joined the Stormers to fill Warrick Gelant’s red-hot boots that the latter left behind after his move to France.

Reports, though, were rife last year that the Stormers were looking for a bigger name – a sure bet – to slot into the No 15 jersey, with Springbok World Cup winner Cheslin Kolbe’s name consistently coming up.

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But Blommetjies has not only steadily grown into his role in the Stormers backfield but marshalled the Western Province backline to two fabulous victories to start the Currie Cup.

He was especially scintillating in Friday night's 41-33 over the Blue Bulls at Loftus, cutting through the sky blue defence almost at will.

There were times when he scythed through so quickly that his own teammates couldn’t keep up.

Dobson, who has overseen turnarounds of Hacjivah Dayimani, Manie Libbok and Gelant in his time in charge, said the work they put into Blommetjies was paying off.

"It started off almost by accident, this thing of turning guys [into star performers] and now we pride ourselves on it," said Dobson.

"We’ve had the conversation about Manie Libbok, Hacjivah [Dayimani] and Evan Roos. And I was worried about 'Blommo' when he first came down.

"He didn’t quite get our defence system. Our back three runs massive distances and I wasn’t sure [if he could do it]. He was running about 30% or 40% less than them.

"But we’ve invested so much in trying to coach him and he’s responded so well. I think he’s heading towards another success