Cultivating a killer instinct
15 Mar 2010
They were the second-half slackers of 2009, but the Stormers are starting to bury opponents when they have them on the rack.
The 2009 season was a disappointment for the nearly men of Super Rugby, as six of their defeats were within seven points or less. The Stormers were competitive in the first half, but would fall away in the second, and then coach Rassie Erasmus was at a loss to explain why his charges couldn’t perform for 80 minutes.
The Cape franchise fared little better in the opening rounds of the 2010 competition. They raced to 26 points in the first half against the Lions, but then failed to record a single point in the second. Against the Waratahs, they scored their third try in the 56th minute, but couldn’t claim the all-important fourth in the time remaining.
The last two weeks have witnessed a massive improvement. They beat the Highlanders 33-0 and the Hurricanes 37-13, scoring nine tries and conceding just two. What’s been impressive is their consistency from start to finish. Against the Highlanders, the Stormers scored 17 points in the second half. The final 40 of the Canes clash also saw 17 points scored by the Stormers.
After last Saturday’s game, coach Allister Coetzee told keo.co.za this team is beginning to cultivate a killer instinct. They’re staying hungry even when they’ve built a healthy lead, and more importantly, they’re maintaining their intensity. They conceded two tries in the last twelve minutes, but ask the Canes about the Stormers’ tackling in the second half. Schalk Burger is just one player whose final tackle was as fierce as his first.
Champion teams go the distance, and although they had the quality in 2009, they didn’t have the right strategy or attitude. Coetzee has credited Burger as a leader and Burger his lieutenants on the field. Springboks Andries Bekker, Jaque Fourie and Bryan Habana know how to win trophies, and they know how to win close games. They know that when teams believe they’ve won, they’re most vulnerable.
That’s why the recent run of form hasn’t been underscored by arrogant proclamations. There’s no talk of play-off matches, which is unsurprising since the Stormers have only ever made it to the knockout stage on two occasions (in 1999 and 2004). They should take nothing for granted, and keep the champagne on ice until they finally confirm a semi-final spot.
Their defence was magnificent against the Canes; that in-your face monstering by midfielders and loose forwards alike smashing the opposition back in the tackle. They cut down the space quickly which meant Ma’a Nonu never built up momentum and fellow All Black Rodney So’oialo was seen swinging his arms in frustration.
In a competition where defence at the tackle has come under scrutiny, the Stormers seem to have cottoned onto a winning formula. Francois Louw doesn’t always get it right, but has made a number of steals in attacking and defensive positions. The big hits go in, and Louw arrives as the second man who has all rights to the ball.
Eddie Jones told this website last week the best teams will adapt to the new law interpretations, and given the Stormers’ progress and position on the Super 14 log, they fall into the ‘best’ category.
While round six is no time to get excited about title prospects, it is a time to get excited about the rugby to come. The Stormers are scoring tries, but they’re yet to click to the point where you’d place them in the Bulls’ class. The mauling has been terrific, but it’s still a bit of a lottery when the ball goes wide. Against the tougher defensive units, they may not have as many opportunities as they did against the Canes, who could have conceded more than five tries at Newlands.
They won’t find that in the Cheetahs, who’ve leaked three tries a game this season. The Stormers will strive for a clinical performance on attack and produce another stonewall display on defence, but they’ll keep to their structures and systems and keep away from the windgat attitude that’s characterised previous Stormers teams.
They’ve laid a solid foundation, but they need to follow through in every sense, and the pressure to do so has not been released. The first-string are finishing off opponents, and inevitable injuries later in the competition will test the squad’s ability to maintain that effort. For now, the Stormers are on a steady upward curve.
By Jon Cardinelli
70 Comments
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15 Mar 2010, 09:58 am
@dr dre: Care to put a wager on it mate? I think history is against you. But if the Bulls have allready qualified top of the table who knows they might put out a second team and you guys might have a chance. I do think the goats are really playing well but they have not travelled yet and only then can you judge them. Remember the Bulls have won this thing twice so they know what it takes. Well done to your team anyway they are really playing well.
15 Mar 2010, 10:03 am
@dr dre:
yeah Dre… they are looking fantastic… have said so all season… even players like Wynand how I’ve never rated before have stepped up to the point that he is the premier no 12 in the comp…
great stuff…
they do need to look at their defence though…
I can’t see anyone beating them though… gonna be a huge game between them and the Stormers in the last round…!!
I’m already nervous…
15 Mar 2010, 10:07 am
@stormersboy:
exactly…
@RugbyRulz:
semantics bud… that wasn’t my intention at all… if anything the opposite was true…
but point taken…
those two tries were due to defensive lapses and they need to ensure their defence doesn’t lapse like that again…
15 Mar 2010, 10:28 am
@Airwell: Almost beat you at Loftus in the Semi last year – If it wasnt for Vuki high tackle we would have.
Were a better team this year. So yes, we can sort the Bulls. What happens on the day is another story altogether.
15 Mar 2010, 10:32 am
@Airwell: your correct about the travel aspect. Lets revisit this conversation once WP & Bulls have cruised overseas for a while.
15 Mar 2010, 10:33 am
When the Stormers win this, the collective egg on the faces of all the Bulls blowhard fans alone will be worth it.
15 Mar 2010, 10:41 am
@4thWiseMan: you have just ensured that should the Stormers not win it, that there WILL be egg on your face.
15 Mar 2010, 10:52 am
@dr dre: Thats the joy of being a supporter but allways remember every dog has its day and that is what is impressive about the Bulls their seems to be a conscious decision by management to stay out of the media limelight and keep their players humble. AC is allways saying something and you should rather talk up the other team than be windgat.
15 Mar 2010, 11:01 am
@Airwell: You are right. All the windgat ( I like that word ) counts for naught.
15 Mar 2010, 11:09 am
@dr dre: 57
Ag, comes with the territory of being a long-suffering Stormers/WP supporter.
I imagine it would be a whole lot more painful for a Bulls fan with a superiority complex, than myself. If life hands you egg on your face, make eggnog
15 Mar 2010, 11:12 am
@Airwell: 58
Pity the same can’t be said about the fans…
Has it ever occurred to you that the very reason AC is so vocal in the media, is because he’s being APPROACHED for comment? His statements are most certainly not unsolicited.
15 Mar 2010, 11:16 am
@dr dre: at Loftus? We were down and out after winning 3 trophies in a year and then we won at NEWLANDS!
@4thWiseMan: Yes when. You are going to wait a while. How long do you think will Habana, Fourie and Schalk play for the Stormers. Everyone is aying that the end of the Bulls are near, but the Stormers bought themselves some old heads as well.
15 Mar 2010, 11:19 am
@Airwell: AC is a humble guy,so don’t see where you get off calling him windgat..?..also Rassie is DOR and well out of media limelight doing his thing better than ever…he is also very anti-windgat..!
15 Mar 2010, 11:33 am
@Horings: 62
“Everyone” is saying that the end of the Bulls is near? How dare they. Look, I’m a Capetonian and Stormers supporter, but I won’t take anything away from the Bulls – they are a class outfit with a devastating attack. They could stand to improve on defense though.
As for having to wait a while, I have patience in bucketloads, and many more years of rugby-viewing pleasure ahead of me
Here’s to a cracker of a match on May 15!
15 Mar 2010, 12:21 pm
@RugbyRulz:
From RugbyHeaven…
“They have a great defence and we were lucky to get 13 points,” conceded Hurricanes captain Andrew Hore.
15 Mar 2010, 12:32 pm
@ufo:
Dude, the Canes were a team defeated and their body language spoke volumes. They were trumped in most aspects of the game and ended up looking like they were just jogging around the pitch for the sake of it. They couldn’t even capitalise on the scrums, in which they clearly had the upper hand most of the time.
Let’s hope this fires them up for the game against the Bulls, rather than demoralise them.
15 Mar 2010, 12:39 pm
@4thWiseMan:
true wiseman…
but I’m committed to supporting all the SA teams this year over all overseas sides…
so… sorry… I can’t do the chivalrous thing…
I hope the Bulls thump them too!!
15 Mar 2010, 14:37 pm
Yeah, our local boys over the sheepshaggers any day… I’ll be rooting for the Bulls as well. The lesser of two evils, hehehehe.
15 Mar 2010, 15:56 pm
How quiet would Loftus go if it hosted the final with the stormers as the opposition and where winning and just before the final hooter Habana intercepts and scores under the posts and wins the trophy for the Stormers? Now that would be hilarious!!!! And I’m sure there would be plenty of people who’d pay good money to see that.
15 Mar 2010, 15:58 pm
Bru, I would worship Habana as a demigod after a stunt like that.
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