Stormers guilty of unnecessary gamble
30 Jun 2011
JON CARDINELLI says that by adopting an overly defensive mindset the Stormers run the risk of becoming predictable and thus increasingly beatable in Saturday’s semi-final at Newlands.
On Wednesday, Allister Coetzee tried to justify Conrad Jantjes’s selection at fullback. The Stormers’ coach stated that Jantjes was a good defender and a sound tactical kicker. He said that in a territorial battle at a rain-ravaged Newlands, Jantjes could have an important role to play.
On the basis of Jantjes’s form, I’d argue that Coetzee’s faith in the player as a fine positional fullback and great line-kicker is misplaced. I’d also argue that the alternative, Gio Aplon, is just as capable of playing a tactical kicking game, and that starting Aplon at fullback will give the Stormers more attacking, counter-attacking and kicking options.
But the Stormers seem determined to stick to an overly defensive approach. They seem determined to limit their options and favour reactionary tactics. Some will call it conservative, safe and necessary given the expected conditions and pressure of a semi-final. I call it putting all your eggs into one basket.
While the Stormers will need to be sharp on defence, they will also need to take whatever scoring opportunities come their way. Defence will be important, but they can’t stonewall the Crusaders for 80 minutes. There needs to be some variation, or at least the prospect of an attack.
Jantjes has struggled to impose himself on attack since returning from a serious leg injury last year. The opposition don’t recognise him as a threat, and are content to kick on him and wait for the error or the predictable kick return.
It’s a tactic that worked for the Bulls in their victory at Newlands three weeks ago. They kicked relentlessly on Jantjes and Bryan Habana, and when the Stormers’ pair didn’t lose the ball, they inevitably turned it over when they attempted to counter-attack.
Most teams will be wary about kicking on Aplon. While he has done well on the wing for both the Stormers and South Africa, he is better utilised at fullback. On attack, he can come into the backline on both sides of the field. On the counter-attack, he can turn a poor kick into a try at the other end. And in a territorial exchange, Aplon’s underrated left boot can earn the Stormers valuable metres.
There’s nothing special about Janjtes on attack and nothing imposing about his kicking game either. The Stormers’ decision to play him at 15 will be cheered by the Crusaders, as this will allow the visitors to employ their own pressure tactics.
The Crusaders will attempt to pressure the Stormers’ back three with a good kick chase or alternatively wait for Jantjes to kick the ball back. Since the Cantabrians have an imposing defensive system of their own and a superior halfback combination that boast all the necessary attacking skills as well match-winning tactical-kicking accuracy, they have every right to expect that this approach will yield the desired results.
Coetzee argues that if the Stormers’ overly defensive approach doesn’t work, there is still the fall-back option of switching to all-out attack in the second half. In that event, Deon Fourie and Schalk Brits will come off the bench, and Aplon will move to fullback.
But what Coetzee fails to remember is that the Crusaders are particularly good at punishing desperate teams. They crept ahead of the Sharks through the goal-kicking of Dan Carter, and once they had established an eight-point lead, the Sharks were forced to take chances. Kieran Read intercepted a wild pass from Pat Lambie, and from there the Crusaders continued to feed off mistakes caused by the visitors’ increasing desperation.
The Stormers would have been better served to start Aplon at fullback against the Crusaders. They will still be favourites, but starting Jantjes at fullback means the pack and the halfbacks will have to work doubly hard to ensure his deficiencies are not exposed to a game-costing degree.
210 Comments
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30 Jun 2011, 14:37 pm
ashampoopaloo los die TIK brother!
30 Jun 2011, 14:41 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-199:
You are still, without doubt the biggest idiot I have ever come across.
Still crying over JW and his coaching methods 4 years down the line, this after JW won the world cup for goodness sake – do you even begin to realize how stupid you look?
Stormers top SA conference, second on the log and you still say they are rubbish.
You are always swearing at everybody, resorting to your preferred potty speak as and when it suits you. Are you for real? Have you even got the balls to say anything face to face with one of the many you verbally abuse, day after day?
I’m sure people close to you must continually remind you of what a pleasure you are to be around, am I right?
30 Jun 2011, 15:12 pm
i don’t think ashampoepol is real! i think its a blogger trying to stir! surely you can’t get a oke who is such a f*cking nut!
has anyone heard Whackhead simpson’s prank call to grant10 ? ::
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIlBeyGYJz4
Funniest thing i’v evr heard!
30 Jun 2011, 15:14 pm
STORMERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Though I must say i am not very confident for you guys, what with JF, your scrummie and Vermuelen missing, I am thinking you now have about a 40% chance of still winning, but in your favor Crusaders had to travel far.
Hope you guys can do it, would be worth not getting any points on Bru.
30 Jun 2011, 15:16 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-199:
Simple question, yes or no answer. Are you racist?
30 Jun 2011, 15:18 pm
@Jorrie_Habana(WO_to_kill_Sir_Elton)-201: You still on the Tik?
30 Jun 2011, 15:26 pm
@Jorrie_Habana(WO_to_kill_Sir_Elton)-203:
Charo has met him before at the Firemans Arms,so he’s real. Whether or not he is always just trying to wind people up is the question. However, he still shows signs of being extremely mentally unstable.
30 Jun 2011, 20:15 pm
this Brigadier is twiddle face racist sexist snot nose garbage so if punks like Mr. Spawn wanna come blow smoke up their racist sexist arses then they obviously from the same sexist racist garbage stable no matter how f’ng holier than thou and toffee nosed superior bred they like to think these two face sexist racist punks like to believe they are.
And come try your sexist racist clever knobnose garbage excuse for humour here or anywhere around me and I tell you straight to your sexist racist face exactly what kinda garbage I think you are, whether in real life or on a blog site.
And to answer this other cleverdick No.15 straight to his cleverdick face, no I’m not racist, and that is absolute fact, so whether you able to understand what comprises a racist compared to what don’t that’s for you dumbass deluded snotnosed cleverdick doos to try work out for yourself.
30 Jun 2011, 20:25 pm
as for Jake White the ultimate moron useless twat of a rugby coach who happened to fluke a gimme non contested world cup he was, is, and always will be the biggest dumbass fraud idiot palooka lousy excuse of a rugby coach who got shepherded through a pisseasy nonevent of a one sided competition by a coach streaks ahead of him in terms of real rugby savvy without which the moron would have even capitulation the easiest passages to a world cup any coach could ever have hoped to be gifted with as was the case in 2007,.
And as hopeless a rugby coach he is, he’s even a worse specimen of a human being, totally and utterly inept and contemptuous of any true reasonable human qualities is your dumbfck hero worshiped Mr. A Hole dumbass White
30 Jun 2011, 20:31 pm
Peter De Villiers leaves that A. Hole Palooka dumbass idiot fraud of a halfarse excuse of a rugby coach and human individual J.W in the shade by light years and more, in every aspect and facet of both rugby coaching and in player handling skills, and even then some. Suck it up any other which way you like, those are the fundamental facts of the matter no matter how uncomfortable it might be for you to begin to recognize it.
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