Decision-making and discipline will be crucial differences when the Stormers meet the Crusaders in a warmly-anticipated Investec Super Rugby clash in Cape Town on Saturday, 17:05. Match shown live on Supersports various channels.
Stormers’ coach Allister Coetzee and captain Schalk Burger acknowledged that the highly successful New Zealand franchise represent their toughest opponent to date in Super Rugby this year.
Burger said at a media conference on Wednesday: “It is a whole new challenge. They have everything: the physicality, the work-rate, the ability to punish your errors by turning over possession and scoring tries.
“They will bring a lot of intensity to the match but they will also bring a whole new level of accuracy.”
Burger said the match would be as close as it came to a Springbok-All Blacks Test.
“This is the team we want to measure ourselves against,” he said.
Coetzee said one match-up in particular would be of interest – that between Crusaders’ second five-eighths Sonny Bill Williams and Stormers inside-centre Jean de Villiers.
“It’s a match-up we might see if the Boks meet the All Blacks at the World Cup this year. These are the kinds of match-ups that will be motivating a number of players. They all want to have that psychological edge with the World Cup in mind,” Coetzee said.
However, he acknowledged that the winning of the game would still be down to the work of the forwards.
“The Crusaders play clever rugby. They make good decisions at the breakdown and this allows them to build such great continuity. We’re going to have to be at our best to keep them at bay,” he said.
“By the same token, we have to be accurate on Saturday. We need to make good decisions and ensure that we don’t give them any chances. They thrive on turnovers, so we can’t afford to give them a sniff.”
Burger prepared for his contest with All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and said: “Winning our set-phases will be non-negotiable; we have to ensure that we have quality first-phase possession.
“From there we have to adapt to the referee’s calls at the breakdown. He’s also quite strict on the defensive side, so we’ll have to be careful there too.
“I think that whatever happens, we have to adapt early. We can’t allow the Crusaders to get off to a good start and build some continuity, and on attack we can’t offer them counter-attacking opportunities.”
The Crusaders always enjoy a visit to South Africa’s’ Mother City, but part of the motivation for Saturday’s Vodacom Super Rugby match against the Stormers at Newlands is to ensure that they don’t have to return later this season.
“This match may be important when we get towards the end of the competition. The Stormers (second on the overall log) are right at the top and the reality is that you want to be in the top two when it comes to the knockout stages,” said Crusaders captain Richie McCaw.
“If we allow the Stormers to get away it could mean that we have to come here again to win it.”
New Zealand referee Chris Pollock will officiate in the game and McCaw believes the best way for both teams of staying on the right side of him will be to dominate the gain line.
“How you go at the breakdowns depends a lot on what is happening at the gain line. It’s a lot easier when you’re going forward,” he said.
“It will be important this week because the Stormers have showed that they exert a lot of pressure at the breakdowns.
“When you get go forward ball and you get it in the right areas, it doesn’t matter. That way you make sure the referee’s interpretation does not cost you.”
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