Stormers fans will cringe if they see superBul is writing an article about the Stormers. Although I had to bite hard on my tongue not to have a dig at them during this article, I started this article to prove that this might be their year.
From the days that Rassie Erasmus took over the coaching in 2008 the air of expectancy was high in the Cape. Rassie went to great heights (even to the top of Newlands Stand) to implement his innovative coaching style.
In 2008 he took the Stormers to 5th spot on the log with 41 points, missing out to the Hurricanes on the same amount of Log points with points difference keeping them out. Maybe more vital, the Lions prevented them to get the 4th try bonus point, which kept them out.
2009 Was a bad year for Rassie and the Stormers, they ended 10th and conceded 249 points and 29 tries that year. The Stormers decided to move Rassie to the Director Of Rugby post created and brought in Allistair Coetzee as head coach. The most significant addition to the coaching staff by Rassie was defence coach Jacques Nienaber, who build such a strong defensive system that in the following year the tries against the Stormers was almost halved. This year it almost dried up, only 5 scored in 6 (7th is a bye) games.
2010 Was the year that the Stormers made their intentions clear, their building process was complete. Rassie asked for 3 years and only a highly motivated and experienced Bulls team stopped them in a historic final in Soweto.
In 2011 the Stormers started of with 5 wins in a row plus the bye which has the effect of a win as well. Last weekend they lost their first game against a much improved Reds side. The Stormers lie 3rd in the overall Logs and is leading the South African Conference by 4 points, with a game in hand. Last year’s champion team, the Bulls, lie a full 8 points behind them.
With a start like this everyone expects, no demands, a semi-final place for them. The Stormers reached the semi-finals in 1999, 2004 and went trough to the final in 2010. They must feel this is their year, specially with the Bulls not looking as menacing this year. The problem is that the Crusaders are in full flight this year. The Stormers must feel like Ernie Els in the US Masters, when he played his best golf from 2000-2005, but Tiger Woods was always in his way.
What must be worrying is the fact that their own try-scoring abilities seem to have dried up. Only 36 was scored in 2010 and more worrying is this year’s haul has been only 9 in 7 games.
A lot is said about South African game plans the lack of variation and generally poor rugby, but for me the Stormers look like a real threat and a good bet if you are a gambler. They have a solid game and some of their star players like Bryan Habana, Jacque Fourie and Gio Aplon are itching to break out and show us there are players who can compete against the rest of the world.
They play the luckless MTN Lions next and then have another bye. The chances that they will gain another 9 Log points is great. So when they take on the Sharks and Crusaders in Cape town after the bye they might secure a playoff spot right there.
I think you miss a very vital point.
The appointment of Mathew Proudfoot has IMO done wonders for the WP/Stormers pack.
As evidence of his coaching ability I think one need not look further than the performances of Pukke since he left.
In both Varsity Cup and Pirates Grand Challenge they’re no longer the force they were.
Goeie artikel, Super.
Behalwe vir die verloor teen die Reds, het die Stormers ‘n droom begin gehad (en droomloting hierdie jaar): 6 wenne (bye ingesluit) na sewe rondtes, wat twee belangrike wegwenne teen die twee spanne in SA konferensie insluit. ‘n Mens kan nie vir meer vra nie.
Verder speel hul die twee spanne wat die voorlopers is in die ander 2 konferensies op hul tuisveld, waarvan hul nou een verloor het (Reds). Op hierdie stadium behoort die Stormers gemaklik die ‘play offs’ te haal, die vraag is meer gaan hul eerste in die SA konferensie eindig, en eerste of tweede op die algemene log ?
Die verloor tuis teen die Reds het laasgenoemde ‘n knou gegee (in beide selfvertroue en die vraag of hul kan aanpas in wedstrydplan en uitvoering), en as hul teen Saders ook verloor tuis, dan gaan hul planne om eerste in SA konferensie te eindig, en eerste of tweede eindig op die algehele log, ‘n verdere groter knou kry.
Wat natuurlik teen Stormers se aspirasies tel, is dat hul nog moet toer, en wegwedstryde teen Blues en Chiefs wag, wat nie maklik is nie. Die Stormers toer egter goed die laaste tyd, so dit is positief. Hul kan egter nie bekostig om te gly teen Leeus nie, want daarna wag die Saders en Sharks, en as jy teen albei skielik verloor, tuis, kan die toer baie lank en lelik word.
Alles hang natuurlik af van hoe die Sharks en Bulle verdere vaar, en van die twee spanne lyk die Sharks na die beste kandidaat om eerste op SA log te eindig. Hulle het klaar getoer, het nou ‘n broodnodige ruskans en kry vier punte by. Lambie en Deysel is ook terug, en saam met Alberts kan hul spanne moeg hardloop oftewel laat verdedig.
Die wedstryd die 30ste tussen Sharks en Stormers kan ook ‘n kleine ‘finaal’ wees om te bepaal wie eerste op SA log eindig. Sharks sal moet wen, anders gaan die Stormers (as hul weer terugkom op die wenpad en daarop bly) die gaping te groot maak bo op die log, tussen hulle en die Sharks/Stormers.
En nou, wat my eie ou spannetjie betref: net hoop, geloof en liefde bly oor, en die grootste daarvan is die …. hoop. 😉
Kan hul, soos die Saders klompie jare gelede gedoen het, en na hul hul eerste 4 wedstryde verloor het, terugkom en die kompetisie wen of ten minste veg vir eerste of tweede plek ?
Ja, die talent en ervaring is daar, maar is die hart, passie en toegewydheid nog daar, of is dit een jaar te veel ? Net tyd sal leer, sommer Saterdag al.
Die verloor teen Saders was nie onverwags nie (wel die ‘hoe’ hul verloor het), maar wat die verloor vererger het, is dat die Bulle al reeds twee tuiswedstryde verloor het, wat hul tien teen een die begin van die seisoen verwag en beplan het hul sou wen. Dit beteken dat hul nou albei oorblywende oorsese wedstryde sal moet wen, net om weer gelyk te trek.
As hul albei wen, kan hul nog met die Stormers en Sharks saamgesels, as hul een wen dink ek sal hul nog goeie ‘contenders’ wees vir die play-offs. As hul nog verder uit die bus val en albei verloor, wat volgens huidige vorm glad nie onmoontlik is nie, nou ja, dan moet hul begin hoop op ‘lady luck’ om hul by die play-offs uit te bring.
So, FL is reg, saterdag is die kruispad, reg of weg vir die seisoen. Die beste manier om weer op die ‘map’ te kom, is om een van die beste spanne in die reeks op hul tuisveld te klop. En alhoewel ek bitter graag wil hê my span moet wen, is die heel belangrikste ‘hoe’ hul speel, wen of verloor. Gaan daar aanpassing wees, eie iniasitief, passie, toewyding, doen die ‘basics’ reg ? Dit is wat ‘n mens die graagste wil sien.
Sterkte Bulle, Sharks en Stormers: tel die koppe op en speel weer rugby waarop ons ou nasie kan trots wees !
2: “die gaping te groot maak bo op die log, tussen hulle en die Sharks/Stormers.”
moet lees:
“die gaping te groot maak bo op die log, tussen hulle en die Sharks/Bulle.”
In alle eerlikheid die Stormers het klaar bykans genoeg gedoen om in die top 6 te eindig
The Stormers, remember, had the weird inconvenience of having their first bye – widely considered to be a key freshening device each time during the gruelling slog – on the opening weekend.
So their second, which comes the welcome week after they tackle the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday, will to all intents and purposes feel more like their first.
The disadvantage of that, however, is that their allocation of inactive weekends is then exhausted, whereas each of the present New Zealand and Australian conference leaders can still look forward to reinvigorating byes rather further down the line.
The Crusaders, for instance, have a timely remaining bye two matches ahead of completion of their fixtures, whilst the Reds have their second one more or less halfway through their remaining obligations.
Whereas the best two conference winners overall would have a rest week ahead of guaranteed respective home semi-finals, the worst-placed conference winner must face a sudden-death affair instead against one of the other three teams (the worst-placed of them) also making the six-team finals series cut.
So a “top two” finish overall in regular season is a particularly coveted objective.
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