Stormers target final flourish
16 Mar 2010
Despite a four from five record, Allister Coetzee says the final fixture before the Stormers’ Australasian tour is crucial to their play-off ambitions.
The Cape franchise will play one more match in Cape Town before preparing for a four-match tour Down Under. They’ve played themselves into a fantastic position not only in the context of the log, but in the context of the competition.
And yet, Coetzee has called for calm. You’d expect them to scalp the Heinrich Brussow-less Cheetahs this weekend and head on tour with a firm foothold in the top four. You’d expect them to collect five points from the Force fixture, bury the Blues and battle to a tight wins over the Reds and Chiefs.
For the underachieving Cape outfit, things are looking up, but the man at the helm is only looking straight ahead.
Coetzee has place special importance on Saturday’s match. Forget the opposition. In the Stormers’ coach’s opinion, a win before a Australasian tour is vital.
‘It’s a crucial game before the bye. It’s important that we go on tour in a good position,’ he told keo.co.za. ‘It wouldn’t matter who we were playing this weekend, a win would be all-important. We have to build on what we’ve done well, and cut out the mistakes.’
It may seem like the Stormers are playing a more attacking brand than they did in their error-strewn loss to the Brumbies. The Newlands crowd booed when a Stormers player put boot to ball, and it took all of eighty minutes before the hosts crossed the tryline.
The subsequent fortnight has witnessed nine tries in all, but Coetzee maintains there’s been no tactical change. The Stormers have sharpened their attack by taking the right options and executing their game plan. Kicking is still prominent, but is now more accurate.
They’re likely to stick to their structures when they host the Cheetahs, but Coetzee acknowledged this opposition brings a new challenge. At the beginning of the season, you wouldn’t back the Cheetahs to upset anybody but the Lions and possibly the Sharks, but the central franchise has already beaten the much-fancied Canes.
‘They disrupted the Canes when they played them two weeks ago,’ said Coetzee. ‘They are a dangerous attacking side and their set-piece is good. We can’t underestimate them. The Canes did, and they got hammered.’
The steady improvement of this Stormers side has Coetzee quietly confident about Saturday’s derby. The Stormers have the pack to deal with the traditionally physical Cheetahs, and they’re also the more clinical side when it comes to law adaptation at the ruck.
The work at the breakdown was a big feature in last Saturday’s win, and that discipline will help the Stormers’ cause this week. As seen in the Cheetahs vs Canes match, you can’t afford to concede penalties because Naas Oliver and Meyer Bosman are capable of punishing you on the scoreboard.
Coetzee added there’s no risk of the Stormers becoming arrogant at this stage of the competition. They beat the Canes 37-13, but as the coach was quick to admit, there were a few instances where poor decision making cost them points. They won’t always get away with these misses, and that’s why they need to start making the right decision sooner rather than later.
‘We have to stick to our systems, but players are allowed to express themselves within those systems. When the opportunity arrives, however, the player needs to make the right decision.
‘One example was the try Brok Harris could have scored on Saturday [where the TMO ruled the prop knocked on]. If we had just gone to the other side of the ruck, we would have scored easily.
‘We’ve got to be more clinical. We need to take our chances this week regardless of the opposition. We want to solidify our position on the log and stay favourably in the hunt for a play-off spot. To do that, we have to win this weekend.’
By Jon Cardinelli
36 Comments
16 Mar 2010, 05:13 am
The Heinrichless Manoeuvre?
16 Mar 2010, 06:10 am
@TheTackler:
Stormers should return unbeaten from their down under endeavor against some easy beat opposition.
You agree, Tony?
16 Mar 2010, 06:33 am
Im a long time Stoermers supporter and can’t see them winning all of their away games. No Super 14 team is a walkover esp the NZ outfits. The Chiefs and blues away will not be easy….prove me wrong you Stormering Dragons!!
16 Mar 2010, 06:35 am
They’ll be boiled like a muttonbird and then smoked like a fat kahawai in NZ. As usual.
16 Mar 2010, 07:02 am
Cheetahs are not a walk over this weekend. Might be one of the games that might haunt the squad later! Must say that Stomers looking good.
16 Mar 2010, 07:05 am
The Reds will be hard to beat. As for the rest..a healthy dose of confidence should see them win if they maintain composure.
16 Mar 2010, 07:20 am
there’s so much self-deprecation at newlands these days it’s in everything they say…”no we’re not playing expansive” “no, you can’t underestimate the cheetahs” “there’s no risk of the stormers becoming arrogant” etc…:D
16 Mar 2010, 07:28 am
So JC.
You would expect the Stormers under normal circumstances to thrash the Cheetahs and win all 4 tour games, you say?
You guys never learn.
16 Mar 2010, 07:28 am
ANother Stormers thread…
This will cause a couple of Bulls’ fans to get their titties in a tangle yet agian no doubt…
16 Mar 2010, 07:45 am
good stuff AC… keep the feet on the ground and focused on what you must do…
Stormers have a very good away record in the S14… won three a couple of years ago… so no reason why they can’t do well this time… especially with a far more settled and cohesive team than we’ve had in ages…
not saying they’ll win all their games… but all their games will be competitive and they should win more than they lose…
but first… Saturday and the Cheetahs… AC is correct to focus on that…
anyone know when they leave for oveaseas…? With the buy coming before they travel hopefully they’ll leave earlier and get over the jet-lag factor and thus negate the travel issue…
16 Mar 2010, 08:25 am
sheesh JC looks like we’ve won the cup already
16 Mar 2010, 08:38 am
The ever humble Stormer journalists.
16 Mar 2010, 08:52 am
@TheTackler: There’s nothing usual about being 2nd on the log…expect bigger and better things from Stormers 2010
16 Mar 2010, 09:09 am
What’s the story with Lionel Cronje’s brawl?
16 Mar 2010, 09:10 am
@Tacitus:
history has shown that the stormers are the best travelling side out of the South Africans, so if you go by that should fare better then the bulls
16 Mar 2010, 09:11 am
@katman: Swept under the carpet.
16 Mar 2010, 09:14 am
@katman: It sounds like he started it,and had a charge of assault laid against him…
16 Mar 2010, 09:16 am
Will be a tough game but the stormers should take this one by 18points….GO STORMERS GO !!!!
RUGS
16 Mar 2010, 09:20 am
@WOLFMAN21: @Storm outta hell: Who was involved? It was after the Canes function. Did someone check his stukkie skeef? Or was he just trying to prove some arb point?
16 Mar 2010, 09:23 am
@katman: I dunno…I believe he was walking toward his car when the scuffle broke out… probably got disse’d by some drunken moron and had to set an example…
16 Mar 2010, 09:28 am
@katman: I don’t know to be honest. He has been defended by all and sundry on this blog, suggesting that as a rugby player, he might have been coaxed into it. Perhaps he was provoked, perhaps not – but rugby players need to learn to walk away.
16 Mar 2010, 09:33 am
Congrats Stormers on a great start. Must be great to finally have 2 players to win games! Let’s face it, without Fourie and Habana, this team will be nothing.
16 Mar 2010, 10:23 am
@WOLFMAN21:
hardly swept under the carpet… read this…
The Stormers have suspended flyhalf Lionel Cronjé for two weeks after he was involved in a fight in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Stephen Nell, Sport24
Cronjé, 20, was held by the police on Sunday and released on a warning in the evening.
“Lionel will not be considered for the Stormers for the next two weeks because of disciplinary reasons. Whether he was at fault or not in the incident, it comes down to a breach of our code of conduct. He should not have become involved,” said Stormers coach Allister Coetzee.
The suspension effectively comes down to one game because the Stormers have a bye after Saturday’s Super 14 match against the Cheetahs at Newlands before they embark on a tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Coetzee spoke to Cronjé, who was named South Africa’s under-20 player of the year in 2009, on Monday.
“Lionel has my full support, but there are protocols the players have to follow. It’s a pity that the team is being linked to something like this. Lionel has the team’s support,” said Coetzee.
Cronjé was on the Stormers’ bench for Saturday’s 37-13 victory over the Hurricanes at Newlands.
It is believed that there was a function with the Stormers and Hurricanes players after the game, but in terms of what is understood from Western Province rugby circles, the incident occurred when Cronjé went out afterwards.
He was apparently on his way to his car when the fight broke out. Cronjé was injured and was taken to hospital on Sunday night for a medical examination.
He reported at WP’s high performance centre in Bellville on Monday morning.
Coetzee was planning to release Cronjé to play for WP’s Vodacom Cup side in Saturday’s match against Border at Newlands.
Willem de Waal or Conrad Hoffmann will take his place in the Stormers’ squad for Saturday’s match against the Cheetahs.
Meanwhile, Vania van der Heever reports that Cronjé’s lawyer, Gerrie Swart, said that his client had been released on a warning and has not appeared in court.
However, Claremont police spokesperson Capt Angie Lachman said that Cronjé had appeared briefly in the Wynberg Magistrates Court on a charge of assault.
16 Mar 2010, 10:57 am
@Bouts: @22 – shows the value of good buying doesn’t it! You make it sound as a bad thing though. They have brought confidence to the team. These two Lions players have great value – yes not Bulls – as Habanna was bought by the Bulls before coming to the Cape.
16 Mar 2010, 11:20 am
@Bouts: Go F yourself.
16 Mar 2010, 11:26 am
@dr dre: Agreed..!!
16 Mar 2010, 11:41 am
@Bill Reyts: This Bouts is a proper tube hey. Good point.
16 Mar 2010, 11:50 am
Nothing final about this flourish…a tough tour awaits,but I’m feeling really positive…SUPERUGBY at it’s best..!!
16 Mar 2010, 12:02 pm
@dr dre: FOR SURE!!!
16 Mar 2010, 12:30 pm
@Storm outta hell: @20 according to someone on news24 commenting as “ek was daar” it involved a Bulls supporter who had been heckling him at this venue where it occured. As always there will be speculation and it will involve a Bulls /Stormers rivalry.
16 Mar 2010, 12:42 pm
@bananaboy: Yeah…well we know how Halfwit SOME Bulls supporters can be…
16 Mar 2010, 12:46 pm
@bananaboy: Ja and the bulls supporter bliksemed him cause he had to go to hospital and he hit first. Now hope the Stormers players have learn’t a lesson never soek molikheid with a Bull
16 Mar 2010, 12:48 pm
@Storm outta hell: I have to admit after all the comments you guys made supporting him I am loving this story and every time I think about it I get a smile on my face
16 Mar 2010, 12:53 pm
@Airwell: Yeah well,I wouldn’t advise any Bulls players going partying when in the mother city,we also got some moron supporters who’ll be looking for a piece of horns on a saturday night…
16 Mar 2010, 14:29 pm
@Airwell: blah blah blah blah blah blah blah bring it on
16 Mar 2010, 14:39 pm
Just stay with the simple game plan that has worked so far, up till now the forwrds have donew the job but now our potent backline is gelling. Go kick some overseas ***! then come back and kck some blue ***!
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