The Stormers are considering picking Ricky Januarie as a counter to the Waratahs’ dangerous Wallaby scrumhalf Luke Burgess in Saturday’s Super 14 match at Newlands in Cape Town.

The chances are also good that loosehead prop Wicus Blaauw will be sidelined for the next week or two with a shoulder injury.
Coach Allister Coetzee will only announce his starting team on Thursday, but judging from Tuesday’s training session it appears as if Januarie will take the No 9 jersey from Dewaldt Duvenage.

Blaauw will be monitored until late this week, but the outcome will in all likelihood be that JC Kritzinger starts and JD Moller slots in on the substitutes bench.

Kritzinger was rock-solid when he replaced Blaauw in the first half of Saturday’s win over the Lions in Johannesburg.

Januarie was also used as a substitute, but his aggression and experience can be worth a lot against a Waratahs side crammed with Wallabies.

“We have not yet finalised our team. If we pick Ricky, it will be with the idea of fighting fire with fire,” said Stormers backline coach Robbie Fleck.

“Burgess was very dangerous against the Reds, We believe he swung the game in the Waratahs’ favour. There was space around the rucks and he exposed that. We’ve definitely made a note of it and will have to keep a close watch on him because he’s a world class player.

The big danger is the 9-10-12 combination (Burgess, Berrick Barnes and Kurtley Beale), with (Wycliff) Palu and (Tatafu) Polota-Nau running in hard. They’re a well-rounded team and we’ll have to be very sharp.”

Undoubtedly sharper than they were against the Lions, when the Stormers lost the plot in the second half after starting well.

“The Waratahs have played in the semifinals numerous times. They’re a very physical side and we’ll have to measure up in that sense. They won’t just attack us in the set phases, but also in the backline, where they have physical players and good decision-makers,” said Fleck.

“Players like Barnes and Beale can make things happen. The match will be on a different level to last week’s one.”

Fleck believes the Stormers and Waratahs are similar in their approach to the game, which could make Saturday’s match interesting.

“Both teams kick well tactically and are driven by structured play,” said Fleck.

“We are aware of Barnes and Beale’s tactical kicking abilities, but want to focus on what we want to do.

“In the past there was too much focus on opponents and too little on our own game.”