Lions defence coach Jaque Fourie says the Stormers’ threat lies in their ability to capitalise on opposition mistakes in open play.
The Stormers have made an unbeaten start to the season, with six Vodacom URC victories followed by two in the Investec Champions Cup.
The Lions struggled on tour before wins against Ulster and the Scarlets at Ellis Park and the Bulls at Loftus revived their URC campaign. However, they then lost their opening two matches of the EPCR Challenge Cup.
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Fourie on Tuesday said the Lions would have to keep things tight at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday to beat the Stormers.
“They thrive off that unstructured type of game,” he explained. “If you don’t keep the ball and you’re not accurate, they can punish you from anywhere.
“It’s about keeping the ball, being sharp with handling, and building pressure through phases. You don’t start a game against the Stormers by throwing the ball around. It’s like an innings [in cricket], you build it first.”
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The former Bok centre added that while the Stormers boast several game-breakers, structure and teamwork remain the Lions’ priority.
“They’ve got effective players and we would be stupid not to look at that,” Fourie said. “But for us it’s about sticking to our structures, stopping momentum and working together.”
“We’re going there with a mission. We want to go and beat the Stormers in Cape Town.”
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Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
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