‘Finals’ brand gives Stormers edge
26 Jul 2012
The Stormers have been playing finals football for much of the season and feel well prepared to eke out another close victory in Saturday’s semi-final.
There’s been no talk of bonus points this week. The Stormers have booked a home semi-final and possibly a final by winning 14 of their 16 league games. Contrary to most predictions, their inability to score four-try bonus points hasn’t cost them. Their subdue and conquer strategy, while uninspiring, has put them in a strong position to win the title.
Coach Allister Coetzee hasn’t gone as far as saying I told you so, but he does enjoy a chuckle whenever somebody refers to the Stormers’ brand as ‘dull’ or ‘boring’.
Ironically, it is boring rugby that so often wins the tight games, and history will show that not many tries are scored in major play-offs.
On Wednesday, Coetzee and De Villiers acknowledged the threat of the Sharks, but they also declared themselves confident in the Stormers’ game plan.
It is a formula that has allowed them to top the league, and they feel it should put them into a position to advance to the final.
‘It’s not a bad effort for the “dullest side in the tournament”, Coetzee quipped. ‘I think it’s also significant that we are playing this game at Newlands where we haven’t lost this year. It’s a special record and we’d like to keep it that way.’
De Villiers was part of the side that played against the Crusaders in the 2011 semi-final. The Stormers employed a similar style of play last season, but De Villiers feels that they’ve made the necessary adjustments to go even further in 2012.
‘We are in a better space than we were last year,’ he said. ‘We haven’t spoken too much about past finals, but I think we are well prepared to play finals rugby. In a way we have been playing it the whole season.’
The Sharks produced one of the performances of the tournament when they smashed the Reds 30-17 in Brisbane last week. The odds are against the Sharks repeating that feat at Newlands, and the travel fatigue must be a concern.
De Villiers, however, said the Sharks are in a similar position to that of the Stormers. They’re two matches away from winning their first ever Super Rugby title, and won’t be short of motivation this Saturday.
‘Everybody may be talking about the significance of possibly securing a home final, but there’s no point talking about next week. If we don’t win this Saturday there won’t be a next week. We have to make sure we pitch up for that game.
‘We saw what happened with Adam Scott [in the British Open last weekend]. He had an opportunity but couldn’t pull it off. That’s the way sport goes, you can prepare but it comes down to whether you can put it together on the day.’
Coetzee also pushed aside suggestions that the travel to Brisbane and back would blunt the edge of the Sharks.
‘The Sharks are a quality side and they are a form side. They went to Brisbane and beat the champs at home, that says a lot about them. They’re a side for the big occasion and they will rock up at Newlands with plenty of confidence.’
The good news for South African rugby is that one of its five teams will be represented in the final. If the Stormers manage to go all the way, it would make for a terrific story given their injury troubles over the course of the season.
And as De Villiers was quick to point out, it would also be nothing short of incredible if the Sharks won the title after completing three trips across the Indian Ocean in the space of three weeks.
‘It would be one of the most incredible feats in the history of Super Rugby,’ said De Villiers. ‘And they’re a team that can do it.
‘They’re playing to be the best in the competition and it makes for a great semi-final this Saturday. There’s going to be a lot of feeling in that match.’
By Jon Cardinelli
27 Comments
25 Jul 2012, 15:13 pm
Choking in the finals dragon?
25 Jul 2012, 15:15 pm
Well, it sure would be an irony then if they lost their first real finals game.. Stormers V Crusaders next week…
25 Jul 2012, 15:16 pm
Sharks will not play ‘finals rugby’ and try and grind out a victory. That much I can assure you because that has been at the root of their failures in finals rugby in the past.
So, if the Stormers are planning to play finals rugby…..good luck with that !
25 Jul 2012, 15:18 pm
Damn
How many threads suddenly
25 Jul 2012, 15:21 pm
@Dawn-4: It’s nerves – check how these guys try and convince themselves that their teams will win. Quite hilarious !
25 Jul 2012, 15:21 pm
@line break-2: and being a home game for the Saders, I reckon they’ll take it.
Fark I hate watching a game played in SA and we have Saffas sporting their Saders outfits and pulling them ‘haka’ faces.
That sh it works when actually are a true NZ lander but it looks kak when you are missing half you’re farking front teeth.
25 Jul 2012, 15:26 pm
@line break-2:
they’ve been in a final before and lost.
25 Jul 2012, 15:27 pm
@wait for it, wait for it…-7: So have the Sharks.
25 Jul 2012, 15:29 pm
FFS, another Stormers article!! And they all say the fecken same. I notice that the Sharks team is published, at last, even though it was announced at the same time as the Stormers team…
25 Jul 2012, 15:37 pm
@Finfan-9: While infuriatingly repetitive, it is absolutely necessary to create multiple Stormers threads to split the fans. We can’t risk another interwebs crash due to an overload of cyber high fives, online bum pats and virtual fist pumps concentrated in one location. That sht is dangerous.
25 Jul 2012, 15:53 pm
Yeah, Wynne Gray (kiwi rugby journo) said something about this a few weeks back on Reunion.
Basically said that on their day the Sharks are the most dangerous team in SA but that the Stormers have been sticking to thier ‘finals rugby’ strategy and grinding out wins.
Going to be a humdinger.
25 Jul 2012, 16:17 pm
BOOM!
You Stormers fans know … deep inside, you know.
25 Jul 2012, 16:24 pm
@kaksioek-12: We’ve been hearing that all year. I wouldn’t be so arrogant this time either.
25 Jul 2012, 16:25 pm
The x-factor vs. the zzzz-factor …
25 Jul 2012, 16:31 pm
@Philou-14: Y
25 Jul 2012, 17:10 pm
I can’t believe that most people are writing the Chiefs and Stormers off. These guys are playing at home and should have the edge, especially after a rest week. The Chiefs score tries and will be throwing everything at the Crusaders. Bookies have the Crusaders as 66% favourites??? Hope these guys know what they doing! I’m going Chiefs and Stormers. Can’t see 2 away wins in the semi’s!
25 Jul 2012, 18:08 pm
finals football? last i checked they were playing rugby
25 Jul 2012, 21:56 pm
What do we stormers fans know?? Are u kidding me!!
There is going to be De scaling of note Saturday!!! That’s what I know
shame this guppies actually think they stand a chance shame!!! The stormers is not the Reds c’mon
26 Jul 2012, 06:03 am
Oh gaats, we all remember how it turned out for the Stormers last time they took their ‘finals’ tournament game plan into the actual finals, hopefully they learned something then…
26 Jul 2012, 07:03 am
Koos, the guppies finals record is not so flash either
26 Jul 2012, 07:18 am
@whatever-20:
Ja ek weet but this one is to wind up the Capies, I use that one on a Sharks thread later…
Still think Stormers just because they playing in their back yard.
26 Jul 2012, 09:16 am
It’s only a game and you might as well toss a coin as predict the result.
26 Jul 2012, 09:42 am
tell me about the free flowing high scoring world cup final last year.
26 Jul 2012, 10:09 am
Considering some resident experts have been predicting, every week, that the Stormers bubble would:
POP
BOOM
HOOHA
(I only like to pleasure women etc (yup – just how is this related you ask yourself?))
it is nothing but a miracle that the Stormers are even in the semi final at all.
I say call the pope, here is a miracle in action.
Other experts have said, each and every time the Stormers win, that they were lucky, or the ref assisted them. In fact one of these experts has said this every year now that I can remember since this blog first started.
Unfortunately for him, he will be taking his wife shopping on Sat afternoon, at the PE Mall.
26 Jul 2012, 10:27 am
hehehehehehe…so the 6th ranked team went and beat the 7th ranked team (on points) and now they are suddenly favorites and the ‘best team in SA’ according to the NZLND ‘experts’ who are all favoring the Sharks. hehehehehehhe…the only reason they support the Sharks is because they want an easy home final for the Kiwi teams.
I can understand the Shark supporters being excited about their ‘wonderful’ display against the mid table Reds who only just squeaked in from the weakest conference but do you honestly think that the top of the table side who has not lost a game at home all season (3 in two seasons if I remember correctly and without the use of Google) will just role over like the Reds did?
If the Stormers do manage to lose this weekend it should definitely be seen as a choke and nothing else because they should go in to this game as the overwhelming favorites. I will be the first one on here to congratulate the Sharks if they do pull it off but like I said, it’s the Stormers’ game to lose on Saturday.
26 Jul 2012, 18:13 pm
I’m a HUGE Sharks fan and I can’t see us beating the Stormers this weekend. It’s sad because I look at the forward pack of the Stormers and it doesn’t exactly scream “DOMINATORS”. The backline of the Stormers don’t score many tries so they shouldn’t even be brought into the equation. I just know from many trips to Newlands how that crowd can pick their team up (just look how well the Crusaders do at Newlands – haha). Grant will slot his penalties. Freddie is due a bad game as well. The Sharks have every chance of winning but it would certainly be against the odds.
27 Jul 2012, 05:31 am
I have dyed my Brazilian blue and white. I am going to be wagging the dog, julle haai naaiers
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