Defence coach Norman Laker says the Stormers have addressed their “midfield collapses” ahead of Saturday’s Vodacom URC clash against the Sharks in Cape Town.
The log-leading Stormers will be looking to extend their winning start to the tournament to nine matches, while the 14th-placed Sharks chase just their third win.
Laker described local derbies as “unnaturally physical” encounters which essentially are “Springbok trials”.
“Whether it’s the Sharks, Bulls or Lions, it’s always tough,” he said on Monday. “They all want to beat you and it’s the same for us. With the Sharks having their Boks back, it will be very physical, a classical South African derby.”
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In-form loose forward Paul de Villiers, who has collected several Man of-the Match awards this season, said derbies carried a unique edge.
“It doesn’t matter what your results were before a derby – it’s always 50-50,” he said.
The Stormers saw off the Vodacom Bulls 13-8 in an epic north-south derby at Cape Town Stadium in early January. Both sides shipped 61 points against English opposition the following weekend, and Laker was only half kidding when he said maybe it was because the players were still feeling the effects of the derby.
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That 61-10 reverse against Harlequins and a tight 39-26 win over the Leicester Tigers in the Investec Champions Cup saw worrying lapses in defence, particularly in midfield.
“I’m not happy with the performance, to be honest,” Laker admitted. “But we had new combinations at 10, 12 and 13 [Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Jonathan Roche and Suleiman Hartzenberg], and that understanding is crucial on defence. Those combinations hadn’t played much together, and unfortunately that showed.
“We reviewed it this morning and we’ve worked hard on fixing those collapses in the midfield. Sometimes you must also give credit to good attacking teams, but we know we can be better.”
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There is some positive news on the injury front, with Laker confirming that centre Ruan Nel could yet be passed fit. Nel started training last week after a calf injury and there had been hopes he could line up against Leicester but in the end he did not make the match 23.
“There’s a possibility he’ll be available, and otherwise we’re in a pretty good space,” said Laker.
The Stormers will come up against a Sharks midfield with serious firepower, including Springboks Andre Esterhuizen and Ethan Hooker, as well as Junior Bok star Jurenzo Julius.
“They’re all quality rugby players,” Laker said. “André and Ethan are playing for the Boks, and Jurenzo is a great prospect. It will be a good contest for our boys.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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