Following a pretty dismal performance in their opening Super Rugby match of the 2014 campaign against the Lions when they lost 34-10, Stormers’ captain Jean de Villiers labelled the performance as “disgusting” and coupled with the loss of players to injury, may find the going tough in the coming month.
By Michael Marnewick
“It’s a team effort and I just don’t think that performance was good enough,” de Villiers admitted this week. “Sometimes you have to take responsibility for your actions.”
The Stormers host the Hurricanes on Friday evening in a match that both sides will treat as a must-win. The Hurricanes are in South Africa for their two tour matches and nothing less than at least one win would be their plan.
They lost to the Sharks in Durban last weekend, so this match against the Stormers takes on greater importance than had they come away with points (they took no log points from their 27-9 defeat). Which means the pressure is on the visitors, as much as it is on the Stormers.
There are five key points they will have identified:
One: They have to turn matters around and win after losing their opening game to the unfancied Lions who have now earned the scalps of the Cheetahs and Lions for a two-nil winning record.
Two: They have to win at home. No team that fancies their chances of making it to the knock-out rounds – and beyond – can afford to lose at home (and then pick up a few wins away from home).
Three: The injury bogey has struck and this is something that could add to their woes. On the injury list and not assured of playing are lock Manuel Carizza (back), Schalk Burger(groin strain) and fellow loose-forward Siya Kolisi (AC Joint injury).
Four: Their attacking mindset, or lack thereof, came back to bite them. Said de Villiers: “But 20 points down, 20 minutes in … it was game over.” And this has proved to be their downfall in the past. They were OK when leading in games, but once they fell behind significantly, they simply couldn’t change their defensive mindset to an attacking one to overcome the deficit on the scoreboard.
Five: A horror tour. They play the Crusaders, Chiefs, Brumbies and Reds on consecutive weekends in a draw not for the faint-hearted. These four sides represent the top two from each of New Zealand and Australia, and should they hit the tour coming off another loss, their self-belief will certainly be low. And given the quality of the opposition, there would be a very real chance that they could return to South Africa with six consecutive losses and their campaign pretty much a write-off.
Testing times indeed for the Stormers who have been amongst the top sides over the past three or four years. It’s early days yet, but could they be at a stage where they’re just papering over cracks?
The next five weeks are crucial to providing the answers.
