Allister Coetzee
The first playing squad of the Stormers has been named already for the first Stormers warm-up match against SWD and it certainly looks like Scarra Ntubeni will have first pick at hooker, but Bongi bonambi, the imported hooker from the Bulls will not go away, he’ll battle for the starting spot all season and Scarra Ntubeni will have to be at his best… and stay injury free, to keep the pecking order in his favour.
Allister Coetzee is faced with a delicate balancing act, considering who he has available and who are carrying niggles and injuries.
Balancing Act:
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has plenty of different boxes he needs to tick in their 3 warm-up matches.
Coetzee’s team will be desperate to avoid the type of horror start to the season that they endured last year, so the focus of the 3 matches against South Western Districts, the Cheetahs and Boland will be to make sure that everything is in place when they travel to Loftus to face the Bulls in their first game of the season.
Whilst it is vital that they are up to speed on the different aspects of their game from a team perspective, there are also the needs of the individual players to consider and how much game-time they need in the build-up to the season.
Coetzee said that the general rule for his frontline players is that they need around 2 hours of game-time each before the season starts, which he believes is enough to ‘break them in’.
“I believe that between 100 and 120 minutes of game-time under the belt for any player would be the minimum requirement to face Super Rugby opposition.
“The big thing is that come 14th of February we don’t want to have medically fit players, but players who are really game-fit, mentally-fit – the whole package,” he said.
Apart from getting his first-choice players to where they want to be, the warm-up games also offer a chance for fringe players to show that they are ready to make the step up, and Coetzee said that although he already has a clear idea of who his best players are he will use the opportunity to take a closer look at the depth available to him.
“As coaches we have got a great understanding of our best 26, and then the youngsters who have joined us will get an opportunity in one of the friendlies to show that they are up to speed and ready to be part of the squad and back up.
“Saturday will be the first hit-out for the players, and it will be completely different from training. The big thing is the game-time with other smaller objectives as well,” he explained.
As a result the team to face South Western Districts this weekend features a mix of established players shaking off the cobwebs and youngsters out to make an impression.
The major challenge for Coetzee will be to put what they have been training into practice under pressure while constantly changing the combinations that need to implement those plans.
Bongi Mbonambi:
Bongi Mbonambi
Stormers hooker Siyabonga Ntubeni knows the threat that new recruit Mbongeni Mbonambi poses to his starting place.
Ntubeni’s short career has been dogged by injury – this will be his fifth Super Rugby season and he has only got 20 caps for the Stormers – and he knows that an extended run this year will be vital if he is to force his way into the Springbok frame.
The dynamic hooker has toured twice with the Boks without earning a cap, and he knows that the two main threats to his chances of eventually making the step up to Test level are injuries and former Bull Mbonambi.
The physical Mbonambi has moved to the Stormers following a frustrating time with the Bulls which saw him spend most of his time on the bench, and Ntubeni knows that he will have to work hard to keep his place in the middle of the Stormers front row this season.
“I have known Bongi and I have played with and against him since 2007, so I know what type of player he is.
“He is not here to make mates so I am working a lot harder and it is good competition, at the end of the day we both want the No.2 jersey,” he said.
In order to justify his place in the Stormers starting line-up and compete for a spot in the Springbok squad Ntubeni knows that he needs to stay fit, which is a major focus for him in such an important year.
“The only way of getting in there is by doing well and excelling in Super Rugby, so at the moment that is my main focus.
“I want to have a proper, solid Super Rugby season, last year I played four games and the year before that I played five.
“So I don’t want to be injured again I want to be on the field, that is the only way I am going to impress anyone,” he explained.
He added that he has learned from his battles with injury in the past, and feels that he will be able to manage his fitness better this season as a result.
“I have played less than 20 Super Rugby games and that is pretty worrying because this is my fourth or fifth year of Super Rugby so it just shows that I haven’t really looked after myself and I have been unfortunate in Super Rugby.
“It is quite important to me to look after my body, I need to manage myself better because I really want to spend more time on the field,” he said.
Both Stormers hookers have benefitted from the input of Springbok breakdown specialist Richie Gray who has been in Cape Town as part of the SARU mobi-unit, and Ntubeni said that the Scotsman has made a major impact.
“We all enjoyed Richie because all of his stuff is game-related, it is not just drills he is specific to your position so it is more what would happen in a game.
“I think that is why the guys enjoy him so much, it is not just about drilling into you, he is making you a better player.
“It is something that I do want to develop, you want as many strong points as you can have to have that x-factor or to create something extra,” he said.
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