The Crusaders' fortuitous draw with the Western Force last week is exactly what the Stormers didn't need ahead of their date with the Super 14 champions at Newlands on Saturday.
Robbie Deans's men are out to emerge from their mini-slump and their effort will be spearheaded by the world's best flyhalf and most valuable player: Daniel Carter.
The International Rugby Board player of 2005 was the inspiration behind New Zealand's whitewash of the British Lions last year and as long as he stays fit it's difficult to see any other side matching what the Force did last week.
We caught up for a chat with the All Black superstar on Tuesday.
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'You can't take anything away from the Western Force' Was complacency a problem for you guys last week?
Yeah, possibly. We had a short turnaround from the previous game and less days to prepare. You can't take anything away from the Western Force. They played extremely well and put a lot of pressure on us. At the end of the day they played with a lot more physicality than we did.
Has it shaken the guys up a bit?
We were obviously lucky to get away with a draw. It was an eye-opener that every team is out to topple us. We have to be right on top of our game week in and week out.
You guys seem to have a remarkable knack of getting yourselves out of trouble. The games against the Sharks and Force are good examples. That is the mark of champions, isn't it?
Yeah, we've got a pretty strong squad at the moment and some great self-belief. When the pressure has come on we have showed that we have that ability to fight and get out of situations that maybe some other teams find hard to do.
The Stormers have lost a lot of games in the last 15 minutes when the pressure has been on. Is that mental frailty something you guys will exploit?
Hopefully we can seal the game out a bit earlier than that! (Laughs) If it comes down to a close game, which could quite easily happen, it could go either way.
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