The Stormers proved the credibility of their contender status when they rallied to beat the Blues 33-21 in Auckland on Saturday morning.
Article By Zelim Nel
Aside from the value of a rare triumph at Eden Park, the win spoke to the continued growth of this Stormers team under one of the competition’s most progressive management structures.
With head coach Allister Coetzee guiding the team, and senior professional coach Rassie Erasmus responsible for concocting shrewd tactics, the Stormers have fast-tracked their development from a talented but inconsistent lot – in years gone by – to credible title challengers.
The Bulls have profited from a similar set-up, with Heyneke Meyer plotting and planning behind the scenes and Frans Ludeke fronting the team, the defending champions now top the standings after nine rounds.
Prior to the team’s departure, Coetzee spoke of the difficulties related to the second week on tour and the protracted effects of jet-lag. But the Stormers swallowed the bitter taste of their 16-15 reverse against the Western Force, pulling together to deliver perhaps their most impressive victory of the season.
However, as important as the result was, it can’t be said it came at the end of a faultless display of rugby – it was, for the most part, an ugly win.
Coetzee tagged his side’s first-half performance against the Blues as the best of the season in a post-match interview, but a review of the game may reduce the length of his appraisal to the 20-minute spell which followed Peter Grant’s first penalty.
The coach admitted that his team had aimed to match the Blues for attacking firepower, but the Stormers’ resilient defence paid the price. “The thing that we were aware of is that these guys have fantastic athletes,” said Coetzee. “It was billed as one of the best attacking sides against one of the best defending sides, but I knew we couldn’t beat them with just a defensive approach.”
The Stormers kept the ball in hand for their second-highest tally of the season, taking it up on more than 100 carries, but their 66 percent gain-line efficiency marks their second-lowest total this year, and this against the Blues’ ninth-ranked defence.
Outside of centre Jaque Fourie’s exhilarating score from a trademark Gio Aplon counter-attack, and the rumbling line-out drive which led to scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage’s try at the start of the second quarter, the Stormers often squandered their superiority at the tackle point with unforced errors and sometimes poor option-taking.
The fact that the Stormers won the match goes some way towards validating Coetzee’s belief that the Blues had to be attacked with the ball in hand, but the coach would have winced that the team’s competition-leading defensive outfit slipped off 31 tackles and gave up 15 linebreaks.
It’s also worth noting that the Stormers outkicked the Blues to claim the lion’s share of the territorial stakes, and this provided Grant with four opportunities to punish the home team for their ill-discipline, which ultimately proved to be the difference.
There was further good news in the form of Andries Bekker, who has this season proved that he is capable of replacing Victor Matfield in the Springbok second row.
Bekker dominated the lineout and his tireless work rate in the tight loose provided the Stormers with a fourth loose forward in defence, and a towering link man on attack.
Brok Harris held up his end of the bargain at the scrum and, even though he faced a depleted Blues front row – missing All Blacks Tony Woodcock and John Afoa, and Charlie Faumuina – the tighthead’s emergence as a consistent scrummager this season has anchored the Stormers growth.
“Our attitude is that we have to get 12 to 15 points from this tour,” assistant coach Robbie Fleck said shortly after the team’s departure. “In our mind, because we’ve got an incredibly tough leg when we get back, we need to have a good tour.”
The Stormers have claimed five points from two tour matches, and they’ll be chasing a bonus-point win when they square up against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday morning.
The Stormers will stick with JD Moller at loosehead prop for Friday’s Super 14 match against the Chiefs in Hamilton.
Forwards coach Matt Proudfoot told Sport24 from Auckland that JC Kritzinger would undergo a fitness test on Tuesday after missing the weekend’s 33-21 win over the Blues at Eden Park because of a hamstring injury.
The Stormers aim to use Kritzinger as a substitute, in which case he will probably replace Argentine prop Eusebio Guinazu in the squad.
“We will start with JD again and stick to the blueprint with which we beat the Blues. We’d like to have a go at scrum time,” said Proudfoot.
Moller started the season as the Stormers’ third choice at loosehead prop behind Wicus Blaauw and Kritzinger, but there was nothing wrong with Saturday’s performance in the scrums.
However, it was in the lineouts where the Stormers really dominated. Proudfoot had special praise for Springbok lock Andries Bekker in that regard.
“Andries is becoming a very intelligent player and out-thinking his opponents. He’s managing to get into players’ heads and is growing in that role,” said Proudfoot.
Bekker will again be a key player in the Stormers’ onslaught in Hamilton, particularly as the New Zealand teams are vulnerable in the lineouts.
“The key to our success against the Blues was our physical abrasiveness. That is what was lacking the previous week against the Force,” said Proudfoot.
There is no reason that the Stormers cannot repeat their success this weekend, but desperation will make the Chiefs dangerous opponents. The Kiwis’ semi-final hopes will be dashed if they suffer another defeat and the Stormers can therefore expect a determined onslaught.
Proudfoot confirmed that scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage will definitely be fit for the Stormers. He left the field against the Blues because of severe cramping.
Ag die ou klomp stormers. Soos mense oor hulle tekere gaan het hulle klaar die Super 14 gewen. Die laaste paar wedstryde, die semi’s en finaal is bloot formaliteit. Ek is so gatvol vir hulle, ek wens sommer hulle verloor die naweek.
En ons is so gatvol vir jou, ek hoop jou kar gaan staan op ‘n treinspoor!!
Hey, die Stormers moet nog eers sorg dat hulle innie semi’s beland.. al semi wat hulle op die oomblik het is seker innie storte na die game.
O flok, die Bulls is ook noggie in die semi’s nie…. niemand is nie.
Ons gaan ‘n paar interessante weke nou in!
Ek is so min hier, ek kan nie sien hoe kan julle gatvol vir my wees nie. Wens jy daar kom ‘n trein ook aan of darem nie dit nie.
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