Stormers still taking it one at a time
One of the most impressive features of the DHL Stormers’ season so far is not so much the fact they remain unbeaten in all matches, including friendlies, but the measured way they have gone about it.
If you consider that they had been beaten twice by the Sharks at Mr Price Kings Park in 2010 and do not boast a good record at the stadium, you might have expected scenes of jubilation from the Stormers after they had won 16-6 to effectively complete their second major away win over a local rival in the space of a fortnight.
But instead of euphoria there was only a calmness and a matter of fact air about the Stormers in keeping with the measured way they had gone about controlling the Sharks throughout the 80 minutes of a match that never rose to any great heights as a spectacle.
The Stormers’ goal was to shut down the Sharks by dominating the collisions, and that is what they did. You wouldn’t say it was an ugly win like some of those much earlier in the season, but neither was it spectacular – it was just a very effective performance.
It leaves the Stormers still on top of the log after six matches – some other teams have played seven – but coach Allister Coetzee knows that the challenge never stops. He would have noted that Will Genia, the Reds captain, spoke quite a bit about the Stormers after his team’s win over the Lions at the weekend, and if you look at the log situation, Saturday’s clash between the two teams at Newlands is another massive one.
The Reds are currently joint second on the overall log with the Crusaders, and a loss for the Stormers on Saturday could see them over-taken in the battle for pole position.
“It’s another big test for us next week, we know that. In this competition you just have to take it game by game and ensure you pitch up each week and bring the physicality and the accuracy that is necessary,” said Stormers coach Allister Coetzee.
“You need to be accurate in the set-pieces, you need to make the right decisions at the breakdowns, which is what Francois Louw and the other players did right against the Sharks. In this match what we did right was apply pressure well, and our defence was also very accurate, effectively taking the option of going wide away from the Sharks.”
Coetzee said the trick to getting through the long and arduous nature of the competition successfully was to just keep focusing on the small things.
“There are lots of small little battles in every game, the key is just to get that job done and do it week from week. I think we have grown enormously in the mental aspect since last year and compared to then this side is in a much better mental space. We don’t get flustered when things don’t go our way and other teams challenge us,” said Coetzee.
“This competition is very hard on the guys, and there is still a long way forward. We are still not sure what a successful competition will be. In this competition you know that at some stage your depth will be tested. We saw the Bulls bounce back this weekend, and we expect that the Sharks will too. That is why we are keeping our feet on the ground.”
Coetzee said he was happy with the way young players had come through in the Stormers systems, and attributed the excellent performances of lock Rynhardt Elstadt in particular but also wing Danie Poolman to the leadership of the senior players.
“The youngsters are feeding off momentum. Because of the way the senior players are paving the way there is less pressure on the younger players and it is easier for them to express themselves. They just have to keep putting in the hard yards.”
Coetzee was unsure on Saturday night whether they had been any injury concerns and said he would be looking at how the players recovered from the match when the side gets together again on Monday.
“There are no known injuries to speak of but obviously in a hard game like this one there were bumps and bruises and the players will feel it over the next few days,” said Coetzee
