'It's the best of the best': Stormers midfield maestro Nel relishing Champions Cup intensity

As the Champions Cup approaches the business end of the competition with the quarter-finals this weekend, Stormers centre Ruhan Nel is looking forward to his side's away clash against Exeter Chiefs.

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Nel has been in stellar form for the Cape Town-based franchise and played an important role in last weekend's 32-28 win over Harlequins at Cape Town Stadium.

He knows, however, that the intensity this weekend will go up a notch when the Stormers run out at Sandy Park with a place in the semi-finals on the line.  

"At the end of the day, it's now down to the business end of the competition," Nel told the Stormers' official website. 

"It's the best of the best, so opportunities are becoming less and pressure is becoming more, so it's about who can convert that pressure into points when it counts," Nel added. 

Against Harlequins, late defensive lapses that allowed the visitors to run in three tries to make the score appear more respectable for the London club was something that Nel said the Stormers had taken some valuable lessons from. 

"We felt so in control of the entire game up until the 73rd minute. I think it was a combination of things that happened on the field at that point," he said.

"It was things we were aware of that might happen, and it did, and our ability to have stopped that late surge is something that always comes down to one or two lucky bounces or plays that we have to be sharp on - otherwise, you find yourself under your poles."

Nel knows that the 2020 champions Chiefs, who played to a thrilling 33-33 draw against 14-man Montpelier last weekend, will provide stern resistance for a Stormers side full of confidence. 

"I