Thinus Delport on Saxons debut

Thinus Delport may have faced England and the All Blacks in the World Cup but the former Springbok was nervous ahead of his Stourbridge Saxons debut.

The 35-year-old, a regular for both Gloucester and Worcester Warriors in the Premiership, came off the bench at Blackheath on Saturday for his first taste of National One rugby.

It helped steer the Black Country side to a thrilling 33-31 win, centre Charlie Hayter securing the match-winning try with the final move of the game.

After getting the call on the morning of the game, Delport explained: "It was a bit nerve-racking when I got on to the field.

"Head coach Tony Windo called me at eight o'clock and said to make sure my boots were in as I was on the bench."

The full-back, capped 18 times for South Africa, has been at Stourton Park as a coach this season while completing his media commitments with Sky TV but a number of injuries ahead of the trip to London saw him drafted into the squad.

He said: "The Currie Cup finishes at the end of October and I have been fortunate enough to have had a bit of media work during the competition.

"It was always my intention to get involved at Stourbridge after those commitments.

"I was blowing a bit because I'm not quite match fit yet. My last proper game was in Japan at the end of January although I've had a Masters 10s tournament and a Classics All Blacks game in Kuala Lumpur.

"But it was good to get out there and be on the winning side.

"I was a little bit nervous as I've not been preparing to play – you can do as much training as you want but it's always different to match fitness.

"I always set myself high standards and I'd not prepared like I would normally prepare for a game.

"That's why there was a feeling of trepidation in case I was a disappointment to myself and to my teammates."

The Saxons ran in five tries on their way to victory, their second successive win.

Delport said: "It is so much easier to slot into a team that is high on confidence and improving.

"The guys showed a lot of character after losing the lead and coming back to win the game in the closing stages."

Stourbridge are back at Stourton Park on Saturday when London Scottish are the visitors.