Touting Jaco and Jantjies as Stormers starters
21 Jan 2013
MARK KEOHANE writes Jaco Taute wants to specialise as a fullback and Elton Jantjies must be the Stormers first-choice flyhalf.
If Taute doesn’t start at 15 and Jantjies is not given the responsibility at 10, then what was the point of luring them to the Cape for this season’s Super Rugby challenge?
Taute is still contracted to the Lions but because the Lions are not playing in the 2013 Super Rugby competition he is among 14 of last year’s Lions playing for another South African franchise this year.
Taute made his Springbok debut at outside centre, but it is fullback that is his best position and what motivated him accepting the offer from the Stormers was to play at fullback in a back three of Gio Aplon and Bryan Habana.
Taute and Lions and Bok team-mate Elton Jantjies are expected to add a dimension to the Stormers attacking game, which has been constantly condemned in the past three seasons as being too one-dimensional. The Stormers won 82% of their matches in last season’s league stages but lost at home in the semi-final for the second successive season. In 2011 the Crusaders were comfortable winners against a Stormers team that had also dropped few games and boasted the best defensive record in the competition’s history.
Defence has taken the Stormers close in the last two seasons but the lack of an attacking game has meant that close is as good as nothing.
Western Province, in the Currie Cup, employed a far more attacking game and Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has said that elements of the Province style would be incorporated into the Stormers’ play this season.
Coetzee remains a realist and is practical that the primary focus remains winning the game and getting four league points. He however acknowledges the impact players like Taute and Jantjies will have on the squad.
Taute’s versatility, in that he can play wing, midfield and even at flyhalf, helps any squad but Coetzee also sees his greatest value at fullback.
Jantjies must start at flyhalf for the Stormers with the more seasoned Peter Grant his back-up.
Jantjies has been stuffed around at international level but his form in Super Rugby last season was very good and he needs game time at the Stormers. He is a greater long-term investment than Grant, who plays in Japan during the Currie Cup season.
Grant will be a perfect foil for Jantjies but it is Jantjies who has to get the preferential treatment this season and playing in the more competitive and successful colours of the Stormers will also improve his national aspirations.
105 Comments
Pages: « 1 [2] 3 » Show All
21 Jan 2013, 15:08 pm
Some seriously handy depth the Stormers have scored from the Lions in the above… much needed in making the play-offs for any side…
21 Jan 2013, 15:31 pm
The Stormers look like a really good side if they use the players that Mustard said in the first posts on the tread. I seriously hope that my lack of rugby knowledge has me thinking wrong
21 Jan 2013, 15:33 pm
My starting team would be
1. Kitshoff
2. Fourie
3. Brok
4. Eben
5. Bekker
6. Kolisi
7. Burger
8. Vermeulen
9. Duvenage
10. Elton
11. Habana
12. JDV
13. JdJ
14. Aplon
15. Taute
16. Liebenberg
17. Cilliers
18. Elstadt
19. Rhodes
20. Schroeder
21. Grant
22. Joe Pietersen
21 Jan 2013, 15:33 pm
Will you clever guys tell me what you think of Lionel Cronje? I wish he had stayed in the Cape.
21 Jan 2013, 15:38 pm
@@whistle@blower@-54: Liked him when he was here. He just needed to stay injury free. Missed the game on Saturday. How did he play?
21 Jan 2013, 15:59 pm
@Sasuke-55:
I saw very little and can’t really tell you. He does seem to get his backline away, breaks very well, kick very well. That’s why I asked the question.
21 Jan 2013, 16:46 pm
@Sasuke-53:
good team bud..
21 Jan 2013, 17:29 pm
Jason Jaftha will be there too!
21 Jan 2013, 17:46 pm
The Stormers and the Sharks should fight it out for the conference title given the squads both teams have. Reckon Bulls will end up third with Cheetahs and Kings at the bottom. The Kings situation is going to be interesting though. What would be successful season for them in their first year of competition? 2/3 wins? being competitive and playing an exciting brand of rugby? Filling their stadiums and bringing back the local EP support? I’m sure transformation is their long term goal but the focus this will clearly be on results as they have to stay up in the super 15….how will this sit with the politicians?
Very interesting season ahead….
21 Jan 2013, 17:58 pm
Kings team could possibly look something like this
1. Jaco Engels
2. Bandise Maku
3. Ross Geldenhys
4. Steven Sykes
5. David Bullbring
6. Mpho Mbiyozo
7. Tomas Leonardi
8. Luke Watson (c)
9. Nicola Vergallo
10. Demetri Catrikillis
11. Michael Killian
12. Andries Strauss
13. Waylon Murray
14. Marcelo Sampson
15. SP Marias
16. Edgar Marutlule
17. Kevin Buys
18. Schalk Ferreira
19. Darron Nell
20. Jacques Engelbrecht
21. Scott Mathie
22. Wesley Dunlop
23. Ronnie Cooke
21 Jan 2013, 18:07 pm
What i am hoping for is that they are not going to be a gimme bonus point wins for the foreign teams……5 points for the home teams are fine but not the away team. Realistically though the only away team i see them possibly beating are the Rebels. The EP crowd should really get behind them and support these guys as they are going to need it.
21 Jan 2013, 18:21 pm
yeah mustard…
tough to say what a good season would be…
here’s hoping they put up competitive performances… filling the stadium would be a huge help too… for the guys on the field… and in any future discussions about their support…
but i reckon a lot of people will judge everything by the promo/rele games at the end…
all the best to them though… really hoping for a good showing from solly’s boys…
21 Jan 2013, 18:31 pm
and btw mustard…
are you new on keo…?
can’t recall having seen you around before…
21 Jan 2013, 18:36 pm
@Mustard-61: There is no chance they will beat the Rebels. I see Keo says the best they can hope for is 3 victories !? That’s hilarious Keo. A team that cant even make it into the Currie Cup.
21 Jan 2013, 18:38 pm
@ufo-63: Been on Keo for years ufo……back in 2004/2005 if i remember correctly. Haven’t had much time to post and so on but i usually pop in and read the headlines and some comments when i get the chance. But i see many guys have left? Where all the rugby fundis gone to hehehe
21 Jan 2013, 18:42 pm
@Mustard-65:
oh okay… cool…
gbs started another site called rugby-talk and quite a few of the oldies post on it… some people post of both…
anyway… great to have you back and posting…!!
21 Jan 2013, 18:42 pm
@ufo-62: As they did not enter Super rugby in a method measured through sporting merit, I wish the Kings nothing but the worst. I hope that new records get posted against them in such a fashion that SARU are too embarrassed to show their faces afterwards and that when they do they hear their Aussie and Kiwi counterparts making jokes about them behind their backs.
Its an embarrassment that we had to force the ‘we demand’ tactic on international counterparts. When it is within South Africa we can handle it because we understand the inherent sense of entitlement within parts of our society. When there are international people involved I get so ashamed…….
So I hope they get thrashed. By all and sundry. The worse the better.
21 Jan 2013, 18:43 pm
@Dusky-64: You never know hey Dusky. But one must also remember that their Super rugby team is vastly different to the team they had before playing in that playoff. This team on paper could be competitive its just matter of getting them to gel in their first season….which will be their biggest obstacle. Solomans is an astute coach so perhaps he will guide them through what is going to be a rough season.
21 Jan 2013, 18:46 pm
@Mustard-68: They have a bunch of average players. Their signings dont blow any hair back, and as a unit this is no better than the Lions were.
Although I am avidly against the Kings inclusion, especially in the way it was done I am looking forward to watching their games with anticipation. It will be sadistic pleasure….
21 Jan 2013, 18:50 pm
@Dusky-67: Bit harsh. The issue was by made worse in fact all the blame i would lay on Saru for their incompetence in the matter. However, we cant really wish the worst on the Kings. The players and the coach deserves a fair shot as they were promised. I hope rugby wins in the end and this is not case of Cheeky and the like making their pockets full trying to appease politicians. EP has so much to offer rugby in this country and affording them a super rugby franchise is way overdue. But the manner in which it was done i agree was farcical.
21 Jan 2013, 18:52 pm
@Dusky-67:
jaaaaa dusky…
not gonna rehash the whole debate again… and saru could have handled it better and i feel for the lions and their long-standing supporters…
but think its great the eastern cape has a team in the comp and will certainly support them over foreign teams…
21 Jan 2013, 18:55 pm
solly is avery astute coach as you said mustard…
he will get more out of these players than many other coaches would…
they will surprise teams taking them lightly…
21 Jan 2013, 18:57 pm
@Mustard-70: I feel bad for the players and those that are there in the name of sport. As a team and the cancer that they represent specifically in a South African context – I wish them no good at all.
In any case, the Lions will whip 7 colors of sh#t into these guys in the relegation/promotion games. It will be interesting to watch SARU squirm then because once you have given something to this lot – you cant take it back. We’ll have violent protests in PE.
I feel desperately bad for the players. That is all.
21 Jan 2013, 18:58 pm
@ufo-71: Good for you. For me, it will be the first time ever I will support foreign opposition against a South African team. I suppose some will say that places me in the same category as those South Africans wearing All Black jerseys to Newlands. So be it. I feel I have a valid reason.
21 Jan 2013, 18:58 pm
@ufo-72: They wont. Get real.
21 Jan 2013, 19:01 pm
@ufo-71: You guys say you feel sorry for the Lions fans. That’s like saying sorry to someone when their mother dies. There is no point in it – because you dont really know how they feel so you cant really be sorry.
Try to imagine for a second they decide that the Stormers wont play Super rugby any more. Close your eyes and try to imagine how you would feel. Then let me know.
21 Jan 2013, 19:02 pm
@Dusky-76: Oh and add in that because of that you lose a whole host of your best players. Try imagine how it would feel.
21 Jan 2013, 19:04 pm
@Dusky-74:
well you’re certainly entitled to think so….
@Dusky-75:
we shall see…
21 Jan 2013, 19:09 pm
@Mustard-70:
> EP has so much to offer rugby in this country and affording them a super rugby franchise is way overdue.
EP has never won the Currie Cup in 127years, I doubt they if they’ve ever reached a semi
Much to offer?
They couldn’t even beat the last team in the CC
Their s.hit’s gonna get real when they play the Sharks, Chiefs, Crusaders, Hurricanes, Brumbies and Bulls in a row
After all that pummeling the Rebels at home would also do to them what Cheeky did to the Lions
21 Jan 2013, 19:12 pm
@victoriabok-79: Ja it will be a spectacle to behold. Can’t wait actually. I wonder if it gets so ludicrous they might pull out mid season ?
They will want to – that is for sure. Some Kings players will be praying for the end of 2013 Super rugby to come. They might lose on purpose to the Lions.
21 Jan 2013, 19:13 pm
@Dusky-76:
duh…!!
i don’t have to imagine it…
the stormers were relegated from super rugby in 1997… and it was not lekker for us supporters…
so i do know exactly what the lions supporters feel… and do feel sorry for them…
sheesh…
get up to speed dude..
21 Jan 2013, 19:24 pm
@ufo-81:
> the stormers were relegated from super rugby in 1997… and it was not lekker for us supporters…
I know, the Bulls also played Super 10 and S12 with very little success until the S14
21 Jan 2013, 19:32 pm
yeah vb… not lekker for any rugga-luvva or sports nut to have their team demoted..,
not sure why empathising with lions supporters irks dusky so.., certainly not patronising them… really feel their disappointment…
21 Jan 2013, 19:34 pm
@Dusky-74:
If one supports an overseas side against a SA side with the new Conference system it is actually normal. In the Super 14 one could still say you supported the SA sides, now it’s a matter of supporting your own side and hoping they top the conference. If that means a SA side must lose to a NZ side for your team to gain that advantage, so be it.
21 Jan 2013, 19:38 pm
@nortierd-84:
> In the Super 14 one could still say you supported the SA sides
Yeah right, as if you Stormers supported the S14 winning Bulls
21 Jan 2013, 19:44 pm
@victoriabok-85:
I said one could, not one did.
Point is VB, if the Bulls and Stormers are equal in the last round and you need the Stormers to lose against an overseas team in order for your side to top the conference, no one should find it “unpatriotic” if you cheered for the foreign side.
I on the other hand am honest in that I support the side I picked for superbru for that 80 minutes, and only then.
So if I pick the Bulls to win I actually “support” them for that match, but only for my own personal selfish gain.
21 Jan 2013, 19:53 pm
@nortierd-86:
I actually supported the Stormers in the semi, I wanted an all SA final, the same with the Sharks in 2007
We have watched too many Aussie vs Kiwi and Kiwi only finals and it was our turn
Also one’s team’s fortunes should be determined on the field by themselves, like the decision the Bulls took in the 2007 game against the Reds to try to get a home semi, rather than wishing bad fortune another team
The only SA side I won’t support when they’re not playing the Bulls would the the BEE Kings
21 Jan 2013, 20:04 pm
@victoriabok-87:
“I actually supported the Stormers in the semi, I wanted an all SA final”
which semi? You have said you support the Sharks if the Bulls are out.
21 Jan 2013, 20:09 pm
@nortierd-88:
The 2010 Final, the Stormers had to play a semi to get there?
Yes, the Sharks in the final last year as the Bulls were out, any SA side if they’re not playing against the Bulls except the Vomit Kings
21 Jan 2013, 20:13 pm
@victoriabok-89:
we thank you for your support
Ek kan nie so rond slet tussen spanne nie, sloppy seconds is nie nice nie
21 Jan 2013, 20:21 pm
@nortierd-90:
Nee, ons moes julle steun dat julle kan vorder tot in die final, sodat hulle kon steun soos die Bulle, onder die leiding van Meester Fourie, hulle ‘n mielie rol
Hoe weet jy sloppy seconds is nie nice nie?
Self probeer?
Is dit ingesluit by die Stormers Ondersteuners lidmaatskap, ‘n showersessie saam met die manne?
Sloppy seconds of druppende donut?
21 Jan 2013, 20:34 pm
@victoriabok-91:
Ek bly mos in Pretoria en luister maar as die Bulls ondersteuners so met mekaar praat.
21 Jan 2013, 20:41 pm
@nortierd-92:
Ja, ons stuur hulle huistoe na hulle mans en boyfriends na die eerste keer
Waaroor gesels die Sharks ondersteuners?
21 Jan 2013, 20:52 pm
This is going to be a fantastic Stormers team. All the best. Lets hope success on the field will be mirrored by successful relations on the ground in the winelands.
21 Jan 2013, 21:38 pm
Stormers will be competitive but Taute is by far the most overrated player in the country. Squad player really, not world class anywhere in the backline.
21 Jan 2013, 22:23 pm
“Jantjies has been stuffed around at international level” couldn’t agree more Keo
22 Jan 2013, 00:04 am
I think the Stormers are a bit overrated hey.
22 Jan 2013, 04:25 am
Wake up to yourself Dusky. The Kings represent an area with a strong rugby tradition. That already makes the more deserving than the Force or Rebels if deserving is your yardstick. The reality is that SA has six natural sporting regions – we see it in the cricket – and only 5 super rugby spots. Relegation is the only feasible option at the moment. It is not as if the Lions have done anything more to deserve their spot. If you are supporting foreign teams out of spite you are as bad as the half blacks who support the ABs. And NO, you don’t have a better reason.
22 Jan 2013, 04:28 am
Liiewe luiperd. Of course you do.
22 Jan 2013, 07:14 am
Agree with Treehugger….the Stormers will be racing The Sharks for top honours with these two players in the mix.
I can feel a Stormers Currie Cup defence in the making.
Pages: « 1 [2] 3 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.