Allister Coetzee
DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee adopted a different approach to his former Springbok management colleague Jake White during the break from Vodacom Super Rugby for the June internationals.
While White had his Cell C Sharks players play club rugby in the last weeks of the break so they don’t hit the remaining phase of the season cold, Coetzee’s players haven’t played in any matches since the win over the Sharks in Durban on the last day of May. The only players to see action in June were the Springboks.
However, the Stormers shouldn’t expect to take any cobwebs into Saturday’s big derby match against the Vodacom Bulls at Newlands as in the two weeks back in training after the taking the first two weeks off, the Stormers have been steadily upping the intensity in training.
Sport24
“We did have some momentum before the break, winning our last few games in succession, but I felt the players needed to have proper time off away from rugby,” said Coetzee.
“Someone like Nizaam Carr has really thrown his body into the fray this season and he needed to rejuvenate. The break was a mental one as much as it was physical. But because they had a break, the players have worked really hard since coming back and you would have seen today that the intensity in training was really great. Having Schalk Burger and Siya Kolisi back from the Boks had the effect of lifting the training intensity even further.”
“I didn’t ask the players to play club rugby. I am not sure if you can get prepared for Super Rugby playing at that level, and I prefer to effect game simulation within the squad, and we have been doing a lot of that. The guys have been getting stuck in so I don’t think they will be lacking in readiness for contact this weekend.”
“We can’t win the competition, but we want to finish off the season strongly and hopefully carry some momentum into the Currie Cup, like we did last year. The Bulls match is always a massive one regardless of log position, and 35 000 tickets have already been sold for the game so that reflects the interest that there is. So it’s quite exciting to be part of this game.”
Given how hard he has worked this season, it wasn’t surprising to see that big No 8 Duane Vermeulen was sitting out training on Monday afternoon. The Bok has carried a heavy load this season after playing all the games he was available for in Super Rugby and then playing every game the Boks played in June. That is the way that Coetzee has been managing Vermeulen over the past few months – resting him during the week so he can give it a full go in the match.
By contrast, Burger has been on and off the field for much of the year, so the fact that he played a full 80 minutes for the Boks against Scotland was a positive from Coetzee’s viewpoint. And Kolisi, who hasn’t been in form this year, is also starting to show signs of lifting his effort level.
“Everyone knows that Siya hasn’t been in form, but I am pleased with the commitment he has started to show just recently and I think it is starting to come right for him,” said Coetzee.
Kolisi will probably play off the bench this week, as Carr has nailed down the openside flank spot as his and Burger these days wears the Stormers No 7. Deon Fourie, who also has played looseforward this year, is back from injury but is likely to be one of the two hookers on Saturday.
Scarra Ntubeni is still out injured and won’t play again until the Currie Cup season, while Mike Willemse, excellent against the Sharks last time out, has been set back by an injury that has made him unavailable for the Bulls game. However Springbok Tiaan Liebenberg is back and was doing a lot of throwing at the lineouts in training on Monday.
With Eben Etzebeth ruled out of the remaining games because of a broken toe sustained at home, the freakish Stormers injury situation probably warrants another glance. These are just some of the players who could realistically be in a first choice match day squad out injured at present: Jean de Villiers, Damian de Allende, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Steven Kitshoff, Brok Harris, Ollie Kebble, Rynhardt Elstadt, Scarra Ntubeni, De Kock Steenkamp.
However there are players coming back into the system this week from injury, with Burger, Liebenberg and Fourie being joined by Gio Aplon and Kobus van Wyk among the players who weren’t available for the last match the Stormers played against the Sharks.
Stormers team to play Bulls:
Stormers:
15. Jaco Taute, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Sailosi Tagicakibau, 12. Juan de Jongh, 11. Cheslin Kolbe, 10. Kurt Coleman, 9. Nic Groom, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Schalk Burger (captain), 6. Nizaam Carr, 5. Ruan Botha, 4. Michael Rhodes, 3. Pat Cilliers, 2. Deon Fourie, 1. Alistair Vermaak
Substitutes:16. Tiaan Liebenberg, 17. Sti Sithole, 18. Martin Dreyer, 19. Manuel Carizza, 20. Siya Kolisi, 21. Louis Schreuder, 22. Peter Grant, 23. Seabelo Senatla
Gosh If JJ cant run Tacikabow ragged then he can take the next week off… Thanks AC
The forwards looks good though… but why start Fourie when Liebenberg is on the bench?
I thought my learned friends from the land of the Blue would enjoy this read from egoworld…
When the Kings were relegated from Super Rugby last year, after a generally encouraging maiden season, it didn’t take long for the cream of their talent pool to be snapped up, with the Bulls, in particular, opting to pick over the carcass to fill the holes created by a mass post-Super Rugby exodus from Pretoria.
Of those Kings stalwarts, few remain in contention in Bulls country today, though. While it was expedient at the time to back imported players like Waylon Murray, Bandise Maku, David Bullbring and Jacques Engelbrecht over their own fabled “young corps” during last year’s Currie Cup season, only the last-named remains as a first tier Bulls player. Meanwhile, the Kings are building from scratch and the Bulls are facing yet another exodus.
History looks set to repeat itself if current talk is to be believed. Our friends from the Jacaranda-lined street of Tshwane are preparing a massive raid on another struggling Super Rugby franchise, the Cheetahs. Naka Drotske’s side have failed to build on a maiden semi-final appearance in 2013 and furthermore have already confirmed a number of foreign departures, including that of ace flyhalf Johan Goosen and exciting loose forward Philip van der Walt.
It has since emerged that captain Adriaan Strauss is all but certain to move to the Bulls next year and if the talk is to be believed, a host of other Cheetahs including Trevor Nyakane, Lappies Labuschagne, Lood de Jager and Oupa Mohoje are also very much on the list. Nyakane (WP) and Labuschagne (Sharks) apparently have other options on the table as well, but should the Bulls succeed in luring the other three, they will succeed in completely decimating a Cheetahs pack that for a change actually contains some capped Springboks.
As for the young players in whom the Bulls have invested so heavily? Well, it seems that yet another crop has failed bear the anticipated fruit, hence the need to go to the market.
And they say the Sharks are mercenaries….
Also interesting to see Senatla already joining the Stormers.
Would have gone, 15. Gio, 14.Senatla, 13 Taute.
Also good to see JDJ fit and running again.
MacroBull wrote:
Nee ek stem! Strange team – especially Tacibolladonner at centre… I would rather have gone with Brok, but he is injured… 😆
@ Gumboots:
Yep I read that, the “raid” of 5 players by the Bulls, that apparently no one else would be interested in? nonsense I bet those players got calls from all over the place.
The Cheetahs really needs to get rid of Naka. Holding on to him is killing the union.
@ Gumboots:
Or maybe even Taute at flyhalf, being the match winner he is 😉
MacroBull wrote:
One drop doesn’t make a season… 😆
Gumboots wrote:
You sure? Nortie hasn’t shut up about it for weeks now.
@9 @ MacroBull:
Well my team has once again failed to deliver, so now I sit back and watch the Guppy supporters getting all excited – just hope for their sakes their team delivers… Not the most endearing supporters around…
On a serious note now… 😉
I would hate to go to war with the Shark supporters – they vanish and run faster than a ‘Bolt’ of lightening…
@ Gumboots:
Thats why the Sharks left here above all other reasons… they can sense the choke coming and they simply don’t want to be around then, it is going to be hectic on the internet, pubs and bath houses all over Durban.
I just want to weigh in on the whole Sharks supporters leaving thing: I know many of them and they are not saints, however if an atmosphere on a website becomes too over the top, people will leave and blog where they feel more welcome. I believe that, watching the posts over the past couple of months, that it was over-done and the result is that the website is left poorer for them leaving.
Teasing and a good, back and forth banter is great, and good for stimulating debate, but I feel that in this case it was overdone. The sad part is, this website should be a place where a balance is held between passionate supporters, who love their teams and country and vigorous debate about the game. It needs to be inclusive of all supporters, and if an environment creeps in where one group of supporters feel that they are not welcome, then we have all failed.
Just saying, use it, don’t use it.
@14 @ Stormersboy:
Howzit mate… I haven’t seen you around for a while…
I understand your point, but over sensitivity is also not good. Banter makes a site… the same thing happened at Keo and I for one found it really funny… I even think you brought up the sticky keyboards issue and BOOM – they were gone… Instead of running away… just ignore like you and I and many others do and move on…
This is a very mild site, compared to the other one…
…only my view…
@ Stormersboy:
That is a fair judgement Stormersboy, admittedly it went to far at times. The whole idea of this site is that we are rugby lovers…
BUT, they love all the Sharks supporters who went too far in their posts on voldy… because when some OTHER teams catch the high winds, then it’s hilarious… till they are in the spotlight then all of a sudden its not fun anymore and they run away.
If you can give it, and laugh at other people giving in… then you better be prepared to take it, no?
I blame the Stormers supporters.
It was them who chased the Bulls supporters away from Keo and now they’ve chased the Sharks supporters away from RT. They should be dealt with.
@ Nama:
I also blame the brokeback poepwinde
Put issues aside and return… This is a rugby site and most here enjoy the game…
If something offends you, just move on and ignore it…
Especially that Tom
@ 18 @ MacroBull:
Okay! I will leave this site then and never come back…
@ Gumboots:
yep after the 2015 WC the Sharks exodus will continue and someone else will rise to the top and take all the heat. Hopefully they come back before that (hopefully not to gloat). but they should at least be here to support the springboks.
Gumboots wrote:
You admit to being a brokeback poepwind?
@ 22 @ MacroBull:
Being a WP and Stormer I have had to endure a decade and more of abuse… some of the abuse vented was way overboard, but hey, I survived it mate… not to mention the two decades that I’m living in Petoors…
@23 @ MacroBull:
…as the court pleases… 😆
@ MacroBull:
“brokeback poepwinde”….hahaha.
Watch how the “brokeback poepwinde” team blow your camo tolletjies into the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday.
@ Gumboots:
Yep and what is the worse thing we said? They have been complaining for years about the boring rugby the Bulls play… yet when we point out they are doubly as boring they throw a temper tantrum lol
@ 26 @ Nama:
@ Nama:
Whats it going to be this time? a 1? no 2? point hiding?
@27 @ MacroBull:
I have no idea what happened. I was away and when I returned the rapture took place… here today gone tomorrow… 😆
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