Latest news with #Theunissen
The Star
29-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Marcel Theunissen set to play pivotal role in Stormers' URC quarter-final against Glasgow Warriors
Leighton Koopman | Published 45 minutes ago The Stormers are bracing for a dog-fight at the rucks and breakdowns against Glasgow Warriors in tomorrow's first United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final in the Scottish city. For Marcel Theunissen, loose forward of the Cape side, it will be another opportunity to push up his stocks as he faces some seasoned campaigners from the defending champions on their home turf. But it's not only at the tackle area where he will be a vital cog. He's also become a prolific lineout-jumper and ball carrier for his side, and those all-round skills will be crucial as the Stormers push for a semi-final spot at Scotstoun Stadium (8.35pm start). The loss of Ben-Jason Dixon and Deon Fourie after some unfortunate injuries this season benefited Theunissen, who had to wait for his opportunities in the Stormers jersey. Now that he has received an extended run from coach John Dobson, it's been difficult for other loose forwards to take his place. And maybe this came as a blessing in disguise for the Cape side, who can now count on the versatile 25-year-old to fill the big boots of the injured Springbok duo. He was first thriving in the No 6 jersey, with Fourie out, but has now shifted to blindside flank in the absence of Dixon and has proven himself with some brilliant performances this season. For Theunissen, though, the grafting won't stop now as he looks to continue contributing to make their campaign a success. The Stormers are looking to snap a four-match losing streak against the Scottish club. 'A game like this offers a good chance for us to make a statement,' Theunissen said this week from Glasgow. 'But when it comes to a team like Glasgow, you can't highlight one aspect of their game as being a weakness, because they have an overall very good game-plan. 'You can't be off on a single aspect of the game against them. We've been talking about this the whole week. 'Whether it is in the scrums, mauls, breakdown, or open play, whatever it is, you must front up in every aspect.' He attributes his prowess in the lineout to his teammates, who have helped him adapt to the role as a blindside flanker. Theunissen has always had a love for reading the lineouts and competing on opposition throw-ins. But as an openside flanker, he had to focus more on playing towards the ball. With the shift to the opposite side of the scrum, he's had greater opportunities to make an impact in the lineouts, while getting to carry the ball into space and contact, which is another thing he loves to do on the rugby field. 'When I play at number seven or eight, the opportunity to carry the ball is a bit more than if you play at six. I like to run with the ball. It is one of the strongest parts of my game,' Theunissen said. 'I've played against some of the Glasgow guys, and they are good players. 'This is a good opportunity to give our best and measure ourselves against their loose trio (which includes the likes of Rory Darge, Henco Venter, Jack Dempsey and Matt Fagerson). 'A lot of us have played on the 4G pitches, and it is not new to us. 'A lot of guys know how the momentum works on the pitch, and it won't have a big role to play.'
IOL News
29-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Marcel Theunissen set to play pivotal role in Stormers' URC quarter-final against Glasgow Warriors
Marcel Theunissen will have a big role to fulfil for the Stormers in their URC quarter-final against Glasgow. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix The Stormers are bracing for a dog-fight at the rucks and breakdowns against Glasgow Warriors in tomorrow's first United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final in the Scottish city. For Marcel Theunissen, loose forward of the Cape side, it will be another opportunity to push up his stocks as he faces some seasoned campaigners from the defending champions on their home turf. But it's not only at the tackle area where he will be a vital cog. He's also become a prolific lineout-jumper and ball carrier for his side, and those all-round skills will be crucial as the Stormers push for a semi-final spot at Scotstoun Stadium (8.35pm start). Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The loss of Ben-Jason Dixon and Deon Fourie after some unfortunate injuries this season benefited Theunissen, who had to wait for his opportunities in the Stormers jersey. Now that he has received an extended run from coach John Dobson, it's been difficult for other loose forwards to take his place. And maybe this came as a blessing in disguise for the Cape side, who can now count on the versatile 25-year-old to fill the big boots of the injured Springbok duo. He was first thriving in the No 6 jersey, with Fourie out, but has now shifted to blindside flank in the absence of Dixon and has proven himself with some brilliant performances this season. For Theunissen, though, the grafting won't stop now as he looks to continue contributing to make their campaign a success. The Stormers are looking to snap a four-match losing streak against the Scottish club. 'A game like this offers a good chance for us to make a statement,' Theunissen said this week from Glasgow. 'But when it comes to a team like Glasgow, you can't highlight one aspect of their game as being a weakness, because they have an overall very good game-plan. 'You can't be off on a single aspect of the game against them. We've been talking about this the whole week. 'Whether it is in the scrums, mauls, breakdown, or open play, whatever it is, you must front up in every aspect.' He attributes his prowess in the lineout to his teammates, who have helped him adapt to the role as a blindside flanker. Theunissen has always had a love for reading the lineouts and competing on opposition throw-ins. But as an openside flanker, he had to focus more on playing towards the ball. With the shift to the opposite side of the scrum, he's had greater opportunities to make an impact in the lineouts, while getting to carry the ball into space and contact, which is another thing he loves to do on the rugby field. 'When I play at number seven or eight, the opportunity to carry the ball is a bit more than if you play at six. I like to run with the ball. It is one of the strongest parts of my game,' Theunissen said. 'I've played against some of the Glasgow guys, and they are good players. 'This is a good opportunity to give our best and measure ourselves against their loose trio (which includes the likes of Rory Darge, Henco Venter, Jack Dempsey and Matt Fagerson). 'A lot of us have played on the 4G pitches, and it is not new to us. 'A lot of guys know how the momentum works on the pitch, and it won't have a big role to play.'
The Citizen
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
SMEs' growth absent in Budget 3.0. Here's what entrepreneurs expected
'If SMEs are the future of work and wealth in South Africa, then we need a budget that treats them as central to recovery, not peripheral to macroeconomic stability.' Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered the third budget on Wednesday for the current financial year, which may have calmed the country's political landscape and ensured fiscal continuity. However, Shawn Theunissen, founder of Entrepreneurship To The Point (eTTP) and Property Point, says the budget failed to deliver what South Africa really needs: a bold pivot toward inclusive economic transformation driven by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). 'Budget 3.0 offers fiscal discipline, but not bold economic inclusion. Small businesses remain on the sidelines, waiting for support to reach them. The continued absence of direct, scalable SME-focused policies risks deepening inequality, slowing recovery, and failing to unlock entrepreneurial potential.' ALSO READ: Political uncertainties that will impact SMEs in the coming months No enterprise funding in the Budget After the value-added tax (VAT) was rejected in the first two budgets, Godongwana had to find a way to compensate for the shortfall that the VAT hike was going to provide. That came at the expense of the government and businesses. He announced that additional government spending will be cut by R68 million, and this is primarily aimed at provisional allocations that have not yet been assigned to votes. However, his mention of benefits to small businesses was absent. The third version of the budget made no mention of new tax relief, grants, or enterprise funding targeting SMEs. At the same time, he announced a fuel levy increase. This increase will raise input and logistics costs, which might force businesses to increase the prices of their services and products. Small business support absent in the budget Theunissen said the third budget was an opportunity to fast-track real SME recovery through targeted tax breaks, working capital relief, and formalised access to state-backed funding. 'Instead, we saw continuity with little urgency.' The revised GDP growth forecast of just 1.4% for 2025 reflects a subdued economic outlook, which offers little stimulus to small enterprises. ' Despite years of commitments, no new mechanisms were introduced to address persistent credit and working capital gaps, and previously announced SME funding remains largely undisbursed. 'It's not just about what's missing in the new budget, it's also about what hasn't been delivered from the last three,' said Theunissen. ALSO READ: Godongwana cuts zero-rated food basket in Budget 3.0 Where is support for women and the youth? He added that the government ignored the many calls for inclusion as the budget did not include any measures to support women- or youth-led enterprises, both of which are disproportionately excluded from procurement, finance, and formal supply chains. 'Budget 3.0 failed to introduce or revitalise entrepreneurship training, innovation incentives, or enterprise support, especially for youth and women. This oversight is short-sighted, as these sectors offer high impact for job creation and inclusive economic growth,' Theunissen added. He pointed out that SMEs account for 98.5% of all formal businesses in the country, provide more than 60% of private sector employment and contribute more than a third of the country's GDP. What SMEs expected He outlined the below as what small businesses in the country expected the budget to include: Targeted tax relief for small businesses on essential inputs: With rising input costs and shrinking margins, SMEs urgently need targeted tax relief on basic goods and services to remain viable in low-growth conditions. Fast-tracked disbursement of existing SME funding commitments: Billions committed to SME support remain undisbursed; this budget should have prioritised fast-tracking delivery to entrepreneurs who can't wait another year. Legal enforcement of the 30-day payment rule in public procurement: Late payments from the government remain a chronic problem; legally enforcing a 30-day payment rule is essential to protect SME cash flow and survival. Clear SME inclusion in Operation Vulindlela and structural reforms: Reform efforts will bypass entrepreneurs without transparent SME procurement targets and timelines in Operation Vulindlela. Dedicated enterprise development for women and youth entrepreneurs: The absence of tailored programmes for women and youth-led enterprises is a missed opportunity to tackle unemployment where it hits hardest. Incentivised formalisation of the informal economy through tax credits and simplified registration: Formalisation must be driven by incentives, not penalties, giving informal entrepreneurs tax breaks and easy registration pathways to enter the mainstream economy.' 'If SMEs are the future of work and wealth in South Africa, then we need a budget that treats them as central to recovery, not peripheral to macroeconomic stability.' NOW READ: Sensible or underwhelming? Economists react to Godongwana's Budget 3.0
