Stormers aim to smother Steyn
10 Jun 2011
JON CARDINELLI chats to Robbie Fleck about the Stormers’ plans to neutralise Morne Steyn.
The Bulls have racked up some monumental victories over the past few seasons, and Steyn has so often been the difference in the matches that matter. He kicked a difficult penalty to win the 2009 Currie Cup semi-final at Newlands. When the Bulls hosted the Stormers in the 2010 Super 14 final in Soweto, Steyn and Fourie du Preez produced a tactical kicking masterclass to compromise the Cape side’s defence.
But Steyn was well contained when the Stomers visited Loftus Versfeld earlier this season. The home pack was bullied, and so the Bulls’ halfbacks struggled to impose themselves without front-foot possession.
It’s for this reason that Fleck isn’t too worried about the Steyn factor ahead of Saturday’s game. It’s a massive fixture in terms of what’s at stake for the Bulls and Stormers, but the formula for success will be much the same.
‘The Bulls tend to be more adventurous in the early stages, they like to try a few different things at the start of a game. But it shouldn’t take them too long to revert to what they do best. They have a game plan that has won trophies, and when they execute it, like they did in that game against the Sharks, they are hard to stop,’ Fleck told keo.co.za.
‘Their forwards really come at you and they try to put even more pressure on you with their fantastic kicking game. But we have to back ourselves to stand up to that challenge. We have managed to nullify the effect of their kicking game in the past, so it’s by no means a daunting prospect. It all starts with fronting up physically, that will go a long way to negating the impact of their kickers.’
The Stormers have opted to bench their best tactical kicker in Dewaldt Duvenage, and not much is known of Kurt Coleman’s ability with the boot. The 21-year-old flyhalf did well in front of goal last week, kicking five from six, but wasn’t asked to kick much out of hand.
Fleck believes Coleman has the full range of skills to be a success, and added that he should receive the necessary platform from his forwards.
‘He was nervous in that Brumbies game, you could see it in the way he played. On occasion, he sat too deep in the pocket instead of taking the ball flat and getting involved.
‘We told him that we wanted him to take more control in the next match against the Rebels, and his response was incredible. He bought into the change of mindset and really exceeded everybody’s expectations.
‘Obviously a Stormers vs Bulls game is a very different prospect, but he’s made an improvement in all departments, so there’s good reason to feel encouraged.’
On Wednesday, Schalk Burger highlighted the Bulls’ experience and ability to win tight matches as a real threat to the Stormers’ chances. Fleck agreed that the Bulls shouldn’t be taken lightly, but pointed to the growth of this Stormers team over the course of their 2011 campaign. If they fall short this weekend, it won’t be for a lack of unity.
‘We matured as a group on that tour to Australasia. It goes to show how a tour can bring people closer together.
‘By the end, we were in a really good head space and were playing some decent rugga too. There were some difficult times and we were honest with ourselves after the match against the Chiefs, but that only made us tighter as group.’
349 Comments
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9 Jun 2011, 21:55 pm
drag
ons
9 Jun 2011, 22:10 pm
i think you meant to say:
d
r
a
g
o
n
s
9 Jun 2011, 22:27 pm
Now there you go Flekkie. Easy isn’t it. You watch out for the Bulls early on, then you bully them, and wallaaaa. Steyn can do nothing, game, set, and match Stormers.
Now why didn’t the Sharks or Waratahs think of that. Or rather, why didn’t you think of that in the final last year?
9 Jun 2011, 22:44 pm
TURNS IMMEDIATELY!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhmjwLMvLB0
9 Jun 2011, 22:48 pm
they won’t smother MSteyn, the dude stands so far deep to execute his kicks it’s not funny. The look on MSteyn’s face after launching a kick is one of pure satisfaction!
I’ve heard the story so many times, you know it too, the one about MSteyn once being a ‘running flyhalf’ when he was @ sand du plessis. Unless someone actually shows me footage of him in high school i will never believe that Morne ‘kick anthing that moves’ Steyn could take the ball flat, bust tackles and make high school defences look like meyer bosman..
Not a chance
9 Jun 2011, 22:55 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-5: Players have differnt strenghts and weakenesses. In the end it is how these strengths and weakenesses balance each other out, and what the final package look like.
9 Jun 2011, 23:10 pm
@theagent: agreed, the problem comes when the opposition has a back of israel dagg, sean maitland & zac guilford who revel in being peppered with ball all game long because it allows them to pull off all their counter-attacking trickery.
Time travel to november/december 2009 – springboks vs ireland, and msteyn was kicking the leather off the ball, problem is rob kearney was gobling all of them up and attacking us and we ended up making a mountain of tackles and LOST from 5 penalties kicked by newby jonathan sexton!
A flyhalf who only has ONE dimension to his game is a risk.
9 Jun 2011, 23:12 pm
I would bet my house on a bulls win. Stormers are WAY overrated. Especially guys like JDV and Jantjes (JDJ is better and Sadie should at least be on the field at wing).
Expect Steyn to be the match winner again. People like to discredit Olivier but he is the form center in SA at the moment, expect him to have a great game.
9 Jun 2011, 23:15 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-7: If the Boks win, the credit goes to the team, but if they lose, it is always the same players that gets the blame. Steyn plays according to a plan as decided by the coaching staff, or changed by the captain.
Was his kicking the problem, or was it because the follow-up was lacking, or simply because it was the wrong tactic?
9 Jun 2011, 23:37 pm
@TheAgent(TheAgent)-9: FdP and M. Steyn lost that game… them and them alone the solo pair of dubious twats with John Smit calling the game plan… both Ireland and France a diabolical example of Boks stuffed without a plan bar kick chase garbage.
fast forward one year with Pienaar and Matfield running the show and Ireland, Wales and England get done a right royal flush by Boks sans FdP and Smit with only Scotland being the sour note because Pienaar was replaced by kick and chase Hougaard.
9 Jun 2011, 23:39 pm
@Pirlet BEL(Pirlet BEL)-8:
Hope your house comprises a two bit shanty shack in Fitas Town because if its a well heeled mansion I’d hate to lose such a life’s investment on the whim and fortune of a fickle rugby game that can easily go either way. Especially if the ref has anything to say in the matter which they usually do far too much.
9 Jun 2011, 23:46 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-10: Disagree. The chasing up by the Boks was poor. When a team loses, supporters look for scapegoats. More often than not, it is the captain and halfbacks.
No flyhalf in SA is the same class as Steyn. Period. A few can be, even be better, but that is for after 2011.
9 Jun 2011, 23:53 pm
@theagent: 9 i can see you’re fixing to argue hypothetically when i’m telling you that the rubbish skop ‘n jag tactic – between morne & fdp – was chiefly the reason we ended up seeing our arses!
When the same players get PICKED despite their f*ckups, who are we supposed to ascribe blame to, the guys who didn’t get to play?
I’ve observed that you’re uber sensitive when it comes to criticism of your beloved bulletjies, and already have ready-made defence mechanism, but you’d do well to know that when those okes don the green & gold they’re no longer just bulle brekers, they’re MY countrymen too and i’m hawkishly scrutinising them sans bias of what union the come from
10 Jun 2011, 00:03 am
This is rather funny. Smothering the one-dimensional Steyn????
Why would you want to smother such a non-entity. if you listen to some rugby fundaai out here – he should not be a factor. in factor, you should set up your game plan so that Morne gets all the ball he wants. because apparently he will not pass it to his number 12. he will kick it away aimlessly or what else I dont know.
one interesting note. Naas de Baas basically, was also a kicking flyhalve.
happiness used to be a pass from Naas. he wasn’t really renowned for his defensive capabilities. yet today he is regarded as one of the best of all time.
i figure some would say he was brilliant behind a pack going backwards too. well, the springbok (the few times naas played for boks), or bulls pack for that matter, wasn’t going back that many times either. so it is easy to generalise to say that.
it is a big myth that Steyn is one dimensional. for all the convenient stats there are, he has a balanced game, in all departments.
in my opinion, the two – naas and morne – are similar in the fact that they bring confidence to the team. the 10 is, when all is said and done, 99% of the time, the main man in the team. and if his players rate him, the forwards have confidence in what will happen at the back. as long as a forward is going forward, he is a happy forward. [un-que grant.]
So i guess i’ll get the usual ‘don’t mention naas and morne in one sentence’ stuff, but anyhoo.
the bulls are coming with a plan. wonderful how the stormers, usually and especially assumes historically and forthwith ad infinitum that the bulls game is based on one strength. o yes, subtle strategies and cunning game plans are just not in their make-up.
and then forget that the legend that is The Tjip, is silently plotting their drop from table mountain.
10 Jun 2011, 00:08 am
@TheAgent(TheAgent)-12:
You living in delusional day dreams. We lost against Ireland and France by playing a pathetic archaic game style which Boks still believe is their traditional strength because it won them a one sided WC where nobody participated and where the archaic style which old laws pre 2008 suited that prehistoric style game.
Now you want to blame the chasers when its the game plan that is pathetically wrong from inception.
Morne Steyn and FdP fckd up the Boks chances in 2009 on Eoyt and a year later we abandoned that game and won, except against Scotland where we played kick chase in the rain and lost. Wales, Ireland and England we played ball in hand game under Matfield and Pienaar in 2010 and NOT kick chase as promoted by FdP and Steyn and run by Smit which cost us a tri nations 5 from 6 losses and an Eoyt in 2009 zero wins except against Italy.
You want to make stupid excuses for your dreamy eyed lover boys take off your blindfold and see exactly who lost those games.. was FdP and M. Steyn and promoted by play to our traditional strengths Smit, nobody else.
10 Jun 2011, 00:14 am
It’s likely the other way around,
Against the Reds and the Chiefs, the Stormers allocated 2 loose forward to cover their back three from up and under, add that their back three are perennial interception prowlers and always out of position, the Stormers will be too thin up front
Styen can turn them around with his boot, but will he do it?
10 Jun 2011, 00:16 am
ratahs nearly ate Steyn and Olivier and Spies and Bakkies and Danie and Steggies last week but for Pro the Blue Bulls mascot Legoete, Bulls were going DOWN… no two questions about it.
And Morne Steyn could do sweet fanny fokol about the marauding light blues from Sydney on their home turf, same as the could do sweet fanny fokol about Highlanders, Crusaders, Stormers and couple others this year as well.
Morne Steyn is one dimensional… those are the facts.. when front foot ball is not available Morne Steyn goes awol same as Spies, WO, Matfield, Danie and most the rest of the Bully Brekers do… they HAVE to have a dominant front 5 or else entire Bully Brekers game plan goes straight out the window at a rate of knots.
10 Jun 2011, 00:17 am
ratahs – Waratahs
10 Jun 2011, 00:22 am
@TheAgent(TheAgent)-12: that is true. he would make any team in any country.
he is in the top 3 flyhalves wordlwide.
problem is. most here use every bit of footage that could be seen as a negative moment, and then blow it to humongous proportions to validate some other iffy point.
even the great carter has crumbled under pressure, and cost the AB’s a game or too.
so did wilkenson. gitaue. larkham (brilliant best). spencer. they all have their imperfections.
steyn has actually been as consistent as any. and i do not buy into the same old same old same old same old sweeping statements from the anti steyners that he can not get his line away.
like you say. gameplans are what they are. and if you are as good as morne, it comes with the territory that sometimes the coach will build the gameplan around him.
compared to van straatten, koen, montgomery, vd westhuizen, de beer – all the flyhalves of late – man, like comparing an antinov with cessna. haha, good one shooter.
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-11: ok skop. have you made up your mind yet. who you think is going to win this weekend?
10 Jun 2011, 00:23 am
ah old Pro, what an eagle-eyed fellow he is.
10 Jun 2011, 00:27 am
it’s laughable how folks want to suddenly come out of the woodwork and be hardegat when there was only ONE blue bulls fan on this site when the crusaders were klapping their team 27 – 0, maybe TheAgent you can tell us who was k@k in that game because we, apparently, are always looking for scapegoats.
10 Jun 2011, 00:29 am
Stormers should win Saturday… but should and do’s and don’ts don’t count in rugby… why all you gotta do is ask Pro or Joubert or Jonker who SHOULD have won last week and then check who actually DID.
10 Jun 2011, 00:30 am
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-17: no man. 1 card. 1 x 100% Pro.
the man was diving in with his head. pro couldn’t see him hit flip’s head. but it was pretty dangerous. the intent looked serious. on the 15th replay you could see that the guy didn’t actually hit flip, but it was not for lack of trying to be dangerous.
the tackle on wynand was basically a strangle. why. he still had him around the strot even when on the floor.
so that is 2 penalties. and 8 and 1/2 minutes off for one waratah guy. jeez. after they crooked their way to uncontested scrums since the, what?, 45th minute?
in the end there was only one winner. and that was the bulls.
10 Jun 2011, 00:33 am
Pro got his eyes up his flou nulle backside.. that’s about how eagle eyed he is… Saru must have paid him big bucks to pull that stunt, and if they didn’t they certainly should have… was worth at least a couple gold watches and perhaps even a Rolls Royce chucked in for good measure… Pro alone brought Bully Brekers back from the dead… the big resurrection act of 2011
10 Jun 2011, 00:35 am
gooi old pro a brannewyn prestasie, whatever that is, lmao.
yip pro could make it 4 trophies from 5 outings, surely no other side like the nulle.
10 Jun 2011, 00:35 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-21: malema came out of the woodwork with low flying colours
10 Jun 2011, 00:38 am
@cab(cab)-25: do you think this going to be the echo if the bulls win the 2011 S15?
drumrrrrroll ….the middle game 8)
10 Jun 2011, 00:43 am
@cab(cab)-25: brannewyn prestasie. ha, that is! funny. lol 2
life has no meaning. only meaning has life.
nulle/ bulle. very clever.
10 Jun 2011, 00:44 am
hi shooter
you’re a bulle fan too, did Tacitus send all of you a memo saying, ‘lay low’? 
i won’t forget the afternoon i spent with robzim, dawn etc watching the bulls get done in by the force, jeepers
, who was to blame that day TheAgent?
10 Jun 2011, 00:45 am
when i start getting this type of grouping, people are all sitting and reading in awe at the sense that i talk.
10 Jun 2011, 00:46 am
I check it took you long enough to get your kop from out that pseudo Yankee doodle dandy delinquent my God’s better than your God, or my science is more enlightened than your science, or my superstition is less superstitious than your superstition, or I know more than you know ring around the rosemary delusional mind game bullsh’t baffles brains ego straining mutual back slap arselicking site.
10 Jun 2011, 00:49 am
@shooter(shooter)-28:
who told you life has any meaning… which rugby guru told you that
10 Jun 2011, 00:49 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-29: jaja transie. ive been here. you are the so-called queen of koei-research, so go and have a look at the crusaders / bulls thread that night. ive been here.
go and pull my profile for all posts for all the effort. but i’ve been here when needed.
ive even been on this site before you 8)
10 Jun 2011, 00:50 am
time for a quantum leap:
40. skopskiet said:
28 Nov 2009, 16:54 pm
Fourie Du Preez and Morne Steyn f.ng up all
the momentum again. Bring on a proper set
of half backs these two palooka ’s got no
idea about attacking rugby. Kick kick kick
kick and kick again. Where ’s a proper scrum
half and fly half like Adams and Pienaar.
These two got no idea at all.
43. skopskiet said:
28 Nov 2009, 16:56 pm
Steyn is hopeless busy losing this game
from the fly half and scrum half channel.
Don ’t know how to get this back line going.
Skop up in the air is about all we know.
46. Senga said:
228 Nov 2009, 16:58 pm
Schalk Burger you monster!
48. Lions_Soutie said:
28 Nov 2009, 16:58 pm
Schalk scores from the backline!
49. Senga said:
28 Nov 2009, 16:59 pm
SA 7 – IRE 3 after 16
52. skopskiet said:
28 Nov 2009, 17:00 pm
about time thats better. Now just keep
running at them and we take this game
easy in our stride. Kick it up in the air and
give them the momentum back.
10 Jun 2011, 00:54 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-29:
That was FdP… FdP did his messiah trick he learnt from Wacko Jacko and tried walking on the poles instead of under them… JC musta let them down that day. Until Pro rocked up… Pro the Bulls messiah 2011… Pro alone did what all of Matfield, FdP, M. Steyn, Spiiiiieeees, or WO couldn’t do the entire season… he single handed brought Flou Nulle back from the sleeping , monotonous DEAD.
10 Jun 2011, 00:54 am
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-32: well to put it in a way.. i’m no fatalist.
you know. i think there are millions of phantoms standing in line for a human body.
10 Jun 2011, 00:54 am
a brannewyn prestasie for shooter for being on keo before me
10 Jun 2011, 00:58 am
flou nulle. double whammy of cleverness never heard before. LOL
if the blou masjien klaps the dromertjies this weekend it wil probably be becasue it was overhands!
10 Jun 2011, 01:00 am
Ja Skopskiet the siener of keo… who would ever give a prophet any recognition in his own lifetime… not this bunch of poefta’s… wonder who that skopskiet doos actually is?
10 Jun 2011, 01:00 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-37: hehe. that is still funny. so how is your old friend gbs?
10 Jun 2011, 01:01 am
@shooter(shooter)-36:
I really like your thinking… we actually almost exactly on the same page you and I… where the fck you been the last 5 years, why you haven’t educated these dom drolle that hang around here?
10 Jun 2011, 01:03 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-13: That is what I want to hear. The rest is just for the show. I will defend “my” team and players, but I pride myself on the fact that when it comes to the Boks, I only want what is best. I don’t care if the player is a Bull, Shark, Stormer. King, or Leopard. Only the best, and that may be different from how you see it. In the end, I’m sure we want the same thing: Bokke to win.
10 Jun 2011, 01:08 am
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-39: get yourselve an u’9 team and take them to WC 2029
if you just divided your time 50/50 between Koei and coaching, it would be a breeze.
10 Jun 2011, 01:12 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-13: And, remember that when your beloved breezies play for the Boks, they play for the team I support. So I don’t want you to try and get passengers on board.
10 Jun 2011, 01:12 am
problem is old yankie doodle enmeshed in a different way of thinking having watcha tutu tendencies, so he cant understand the principles behind science, he still banging on about faith and ****. i smaak old yankie, but unfortunately he’s a hippy at heart.
10 Jun 2011, 01:14 am
@shooter(shooter)-27:
yip, bulls still got a long way to go, including this saturday, theyve been comprehensively outplayed the last couple of times, but in their present form i wouldnt put it past them. if they win i dont even think the saders can brag that kind of dominance tho will need to check the history.
10 Jun 2011, 01:17 am
@shooter(shooter)-43: pisseasy in the breeze nothing to it… these national coaches have it easiest of the lot… they sit on their overrated fanny arses and get the best players in the world dished up to them on a plate… all the training and nurturing and rugby skills long time drummed into them through school, Craven week, junior WC”s then VC through CC through S15 and all they gotta do is pick and chose the best 30 available and put them together with some dedicated assistants and skills coaches and consultants and fitness coaches and hand eye coordinators and sports science doctors and you name it all at their beck and call,,, and the dumb schmucks can’t even get that much right…
Easiest thing in the world taking a group of best developed players and molding them together into a winning combo… and they ache and agonize over it for 4 whole years for one little Russian roulette all fall down or all stand up song and dance which they still can’t fathom out for all the tea in China how to get it straight.
10 Jun 2011, 01:21 am
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-41:@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-41: so you agree with me that morne is naas. ha, i’ll have a beer with you if i’m in cape town one day?
10 Jun 2011, 01:22 am
yankee doodle is a two faced coward he can’t handle critique though he likes to play god on his own little soap box site. he don’t know that perhaps his best friends are actually his worst critics, and that his worst enemies are those two faced schmucks buttering up his dumb fck ego to high f’ng heaven… stupefied ignorant idiotic imbecile over educated delusional ego rampant intellect mesmerized dunce.
10 Jun 2011, 01:25 am
@shooter(shooter)-48: you have the beer I’ll have the grapetizer, be my plesier
nag… tyd verby.. out.
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