Allister Coetzee

Allister Coetzee

An elated DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee heaped the praise on his coaching team and all the players in the aftermath of their excellent 32 / 18 Vodacom Super Rugby win over the defending champion Waratahs earlier today.

The DHL Stormers overturned a 13 / 15 half-time deficit to record their 1st tour win of 2015 against the reigning champs – also scoring 4 tries in the process in Sydney.

I’m really, really happy,” Coetzee told the www.iamastormer.com website from Coogee on Saturday night.

“The players were really determined to register this win and it was a massive performance from everyone… the guys really stepped up to the next level to beat the reigning champions (at home) and to also score 4 tries.

“It was a 23-man squad effort and credit must go to all the players and all the coaches for all the work that went in this past week,” added the DHL Stormers boss.

“All our plans came together on the night, the bench worked well – all the players that came on made an impact. It’s something we needed against a physical Waratahs team and (also) in our 3rd week on tour.”

The DHL Stormers went down 20 / 25 to the table-topping Hurricanes last weekend and Coetzee believes the confidence from their 2nd-half showing in Wellington helped the team pull it through against the ‘Tahs.

He said: “I said last week we were heading in the right direction and the belief in this team, despite having 1 Log point to show for our efforts until tonight, has always been there.

“I thought our balance was spot on today – our kicking game was excellent and we put in a huge defensive effort. We also capitalised on that defensive effort and utilised any turnover possession in scoring our 4 tries.”

Flanker Michael Rhodes (hamstring) is the major injury worry for the DHL Stormers after limping off in the 33rd minute against the ‘Tahs, whilst flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis took a blow to the head and was replaced at the start of the 2nd half.

“Demetri was a bit uncomfortable, so we didn’t want to risk him,” said Coetzee. “But the big worry for us, after a very physical match, is Mike Rhodes who has done his hamstring – he might be on his way home.”

Coetzee continued: “Like I said, we backed our bench during this match – it was our intention all week – and it worked well for us.

“We will have some sore bodies after this match, so our 1st intention is to field a strong and fit team against the Force next week. We need to continue improving, as we have on this tour, and will keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard in our final week.”

The DHL Stormers will finish their 4-match tour of Australasia against the Western Force at Perth’s nib Stadium next Saturday (kick-off 19:45 AWST, 13:45 SA Time).

179 Responses to Super Rugby: Coetzee praises ‘massive performance’

  • 121

    @ Tassies:

    Exactly – guys who are thinking – guys who want to play. Willie le Roux will put an extra 10,000 people on their seats in the stadium.
    Darius Botha – on the other hand. 🙄

  • 122

    @ Nama:

    @ 117

    I think Jacques was too fast for him and he saw he was not going to make the tackle and then he faked the half hearted tackle and claimed afterwards he could not get himself so far to tackle his brother.

    Michael qualified as a dentist…. so hy kan mos “Lieg soos n tandetrekker” 🙂

  • 123

    @ IAAS:
    @ Tassies:
    Nothing “political” about him Tassies, just saying people miss out on selection every day due to various factors.

    I would also give Brussouw another chance.

    IAAS, he doesn’t even give away so many penalties lately, but the major factor HM will use as an excuse is the fact hat he isn’t a line out option.

    The rumors have been going around that HM wanted to contract him for the Bulls and Brussouw snubbed him…..whether that is true, I wouldn’t know, but it’s out there and has been doing the rounds for a while

  • 124

    @ Nama:

    Agree – Always kept you thinking – pity his life was cut short. A good cricketer for the Titans as well.

  • 125

    120 @ Nama:
    Johan Marais was one of 5 brothers, they lived about a km if that much away from us in Lynnwood.

    Johan was older than me, but his younger brothers played rugby with me at school.

    All 5 brothers were wrestlers… great ones… hard as nails all of them.

    Wicus was a year older than me, the man was a monster at school.

  • 126

    120 @ Nama:
    My favorite Noord Transvaal Bok was Johan Heunis….he was class IMO.

    Now, when I look back without prejudice, I can appreciate Naas and his genius….but in the 80’s I hated the guy 😆

  • 127

    @ Nama:

    @ 120

    I liked Cliff Brown too… although he was actually from Durbs

    Ulie Schmidt was also ok… as was Dewald Potgieter ..

    Cannot think of any others I ever liked 🙂

  • 128

    @ nortie:
    “The rumors have been going around that HM wanted to contract him for the Bulls and Brussouw snubbed him…..whether that is true, I wouldn’t know, but it’s out there and has been doing the rounds for a while”

    I’m inclined to believe that. I mean, HM was then forced to sign Steggies. 😆

    @ IAAS:
    Yeah, A good left arm seamer who would play in the CC fot the Bulle final this Saturday and start a 3 day game for N. TVL the next week.

  • 129

    Cheers, outa here…

  • 130

    Quick change of topic…..from rugby to golf

    Anyone think Spieth will get caught at the Masters or implode?

    I like the word Spieth…..it’s what it would sound like if Gary Teichman was a commentator doing a Bulls game

  • 131

    @ nortie:

    Johan Heunis – great player – also a great favourite of mine.

    One of my favourite memories was when Rhodes beat UPE with Johan Heunis, his brother Chris also an EP player, Gavin Cowley, Schalk Burger snr. Rhodes had a bunch of souties in their ranks.

    Grahamstown was mayhem that night. And rightly so.

  • 132

    @ Nama: Gerbrandt yes. Agree. Who the hell was Johan Marais? Can’t remember him at all have to confess.
    I have to shut down guys. Nix life left in this baby Mac battery so it needs a pomp. 9 hours is not bad going so can’t complain.
    Speak to you all from Debben tomorrow.
    Nite everone. Happy wrestling.

  • 133

    @ grootblousmile:
    I think he was the baby of the Bok team in NZ in ’81 at age 19. His retired at a very early age. Was it because of injuries?

    @ nortie:
    I can respect Naas for his achievements only now as well. His “stomp” on Peter Whip in the ’79 final was what made me dislike him immensely.

    @ robzim:
    I only liked Cliffie when he played for Natal. Especially when he kicked over a conversion from the sideline to beat the Bulle at Loftus. In 1981, I think, while the Boks were touring NZ. The next year he was called up for army duty to Pretoria. Amazed

  • 134

    131 @ IAAS:
    Chris Heunis became an Attorney in George and was one of my colleagues / opposition there.

    Good man!

    Johan Heunis was also an attorney in Pretoria, at Adams & Adams… he became a senior partner / director there.

  • 135

  • 136

    134 @ grootblousmile:
    “Chris Heunis became an Attorney in George and was one of my colleagues / opposition there.

    Good man!”

    Isn’t that an oxymoron? 😆

  • 137

    132 @ Tassies:
    Johan Marais was a Bloubul No 8 and also played for the Springboks.

    Like Nama says, he was on the Springbok tour to New Zealand in 1981, the infamous Mieliebom tour.

  • 138

    Good night all.

    Nice chatting!

  • 139

    IAAS wrote:

    Cheeky Watson was a great rugby player

    Indeed he was – I remember Cheeky and Hermanus Potgieter being the EP Schools team wings circa 1972, & there was nothing to choose between them. And of course, Hermanus proceeded to become a Bok wing. There is no rugby reason why Cheeky could not likewise have become a Bok (if circumstances were different).

  • 140

    grootblousmile wrote:

    Yip, I saw him (Cheeky) play

    Well, then it must’ve been on very few occasions at a tender age since you must have been about 12 or younger when he withdrew from white only rugby in favour of joining the Kwazakele Rugby Union.

  • 141

    IAAS wrote:

    Johan Heunis – great player – also a great favourite of mine.

    One of my favourite memories was when Rhodes beat UPE with Johan Heunis, his brother Chris also an EP player, Gavin Cowley, Schalk Burger snr. Rhodes had a bunch of souties in their ranks.

    Grahamstown was mayhem that night. And rightly so.

    88

    What a shock defeat that was for UPE.
    I was also there, also witnessed that shock defeat, & also partied afterwards coz that is what one does at intervarsity – win or lose 🙂
    UPE/Rhodes Intervarsities in Grahamstown occur in the even years – thus that defeat must’ve occurred in any of the years 1976, ’78 or 1980, but I think it was 1978. Depending on the year of that defeat, other prominent players that may have been in the UPE team that day are (off the top of my head) Shaun Povey, George Rautenbach, Andrew Johnson, Robert Blignault and/or Jan ‘Boela’ Serfontein (the father of the Bok centre, Jan). UPE had a mean team those days.

    I didn’t realise you were a Rhodian. Always thought of you as a true blue, born & bred W.Cape dude.

    PS: I know Chris & Johan – gentlemen both, & both were decent cricketers as well; we are contemporaries & alumni of the same residence; Chris and I even attended much the same lectures for a while – until our courses diverged.

  • 142

    “Behind all those canned compliments for older adults — spry! wily! wise! — is an appreciation for something that scientists have had a hard time characterizing: mental faculties that improve with age.

    Knowledge is a large part of the equation, of course. People who are middle-aged and older tend to know more than young adults, by virtue of having been around longer, and score higher on vocabulary tests, crossword puzzles and other measures of so-called crystallized intelligence…

    The researchers also analyzed results from the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test. The test involves looking at snapshots of strangers’ eyes on a computer screen and determining their moods from a menu of options like “tentative,” “uncertain” and “skeptical.”

    “It’s not an easy test, and you’re not sure afterward how well you did,” Dr. Germine said. “I thought I’d done poorly but in fact did pretty well.” Yet people in their 40s or 50s consistently did the best, the study found, and the skill declined very slowly later in life.

    The picture that emerges from these findings is of an older brain that moves more slowly than its younger self, but is just as accurate in many areas and more adept at reading others’ moods — on top of being more knowledgeable. That’s a handy combination, given that so many important decisions people make intimately affects others.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/health/older-really-can-mean-wiser.html?WT.mc_id=2015-APRIL-INYT-INTL_REG_ENG-0407-0411&WT.mc_ev=click&ad-keywords=IntlAudDev

  • 143

    Some very interesting stats in the Argus today re the Stormers.

    First 5 games of which they won four:

    Average kicks- 24
    Runs- 92
    Tackles- 88
    Offloads- 6

    TWO losing games while on tour:

    Kicks- 13
    Runs-158
    Tackles- 78
    Off loads- 20

    Winning game versus Waratahs:

    Kicks- 24
    Runs-69
    Tackles – 126
    Off Loads- 6

    Based on this statistics it is clear that by cutting their running game, reducing their off loads and increase their kicking they are getting the best results taking into consideration their current team with it’s undersized backs.

  • 144

    robzim wrote:

    It seems that a “defence first with a keen eye on the counter-punch” strategy is the way forward for this Stormer team.

    Nama wrote:

    @ robzim:
    “It seems that a “defence first with a keen eye on the counter-punch” strategy is the way forward for this Stormer team.”

    I was just about to say something similar when I saw your comment.

    Only problem I have with that strategy is that, while it took us to the semi twice in the past, it was not good enough to go all the way. AC should not neglect the vision to play more attacking rugby now that he has “rediscovered” the magic formula that brought him success in the past.

    I have been saying this since last year, the WP and Stormers success was built on their counter attack and not this “ball in hand” nonsense that people think we need.

    playing with the “ball in hand” proved to mean absolutely nothing for the Ozmob this weekend.

  • 145

    and the Stormers WP counterattack has improved significantly since Center Bekker went to japan and Flyhalf Harris left and Kitchoff is not standing at 1st receiver half the time… to a lesser degree even the Aplon departure helped them, because he would score marvelous tries but also throw away tried by not passing to players in a better position, Kolbe can do both.

  • 146

    @ MacroBull:

    @ 144

    Yes.. a more structured attacking game will most likely not work for a team with so many undersized backs that will always be dominated in the tackle by bigger opponents. These smaller faster players come into their own on the counter where there is often more space as showed by Kolbe on Saturday.

    Interesting that Gert Small was credited for bringing a more attacking type of play to WP/Stormers but that it now appears as if they are reverting back to the previous gameplan which brought them relative success previously.

    Perhaps they should have left AC to do his own thing all the time?

  • 147

    @ robzim:
    It is a tough one, people were complaining in 2012 after every game even though they were winning… even some of our bloggers here claimed to not have been happy… but now the same gameplan het getting success and it is all good. and then players like Schalk, Bekker and Vermeulen was good in defense but back then did not fit the counter attacking edge… since then Vermeulen, Schalk, JDJ etc just got better.

    It is also the bounce of the ball, 4 or 5 tries have been scored by hoofing the ball down field and the ball bouncing perfectly in the wings hands… had the ball bounced differently, there might be a different picture.

    Also AC this year has been fortunate regarding injuries compared the the previous years with Elstadt and Rhodes the only players injured at this stage… Senatla might also play one or two games, then the counter attack is even more dangerous.

  • 148

    and JDV… but you can argue they don’t miss him at all

  • 149

    @ robzim:
    And they are doing well without a “fetcher” every team “needs” in the modern game.

  • 150

    @ MacroBull:

    As long as Damian stays injury free they are certainly not missing Jean as a number 12.

    btw.. I see on Sport 24 that Pat Howard is leaving for England… I guess it was always going to happen…

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