Even though the Force are in crisis mode, and some of their senior players were reprimanded after allegations of late night drinking in Bloemfontein last weekend, the Stormers are keeping their eyes firmly on the prize.
Stormers coach Robbie Fleck has been around for a long time, both as a top rugby player and as a coach. And he knows the encounter in Perth is the sort of match that the Stormers tend to take for granted, and that they could easily come unstuck.
The Force aren’t the most glamorous of teams at the best of times, but the Stormers still need to play well to put them away. However, the Stormers have got some incentive going into the match, as a win would secure the Africa Conference 1 top spot and a place in the quarter-finals of this year’s Super Rugby tournament.
The Stormers’ bonus-point victory over the Rebels, and the Bulls’ defeat against the Jaguares last weekend, have given the Cape side a nine-point lead at the top of the standings with two rounds of fixtures to go before the play-offs.
“(The off-the-field issues), that is the Force’s business. With regard to our attitude and approach to this game, there certainly won’t be any complacency.
“We still have to quality for a home quarter-final. We still have to win our conference,” Fleck told the media from Perth.
“We haven’t qualified, we haven’t won any trophies. So certainly there is huge motivation in the squad to keep on improving. It’s a big game for us, and we want to do well.”
TEAMS
Force: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Marcel Brache, 13 Ben Tapuai, 12 Kyle Godwin, 11 Luke Morahan (captain), 10 Jono Lance, 9 Ryan Louwrens, 8 Angus Cottrell, 7 Chris Alcock, 6 Richard Hardwick, 5 Rory Walton, 4 Ross Haylett-Petty, 3 Guy Millar, 2 Harry Scoble, 1 Pek Cowan. Bench: 16 Anaru Rangi, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Jermaine Ainsley, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Brynard Stander, 21 Ian Prior, 22 Peter Grant, 23 Semisi Masirewa.
Stormers: 15 Jaco Taute, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Daniel du Plessis, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Schalk Burger (captain), 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Alistair Vermaak. Bench: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 JP Smith, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Rynhardt Elstadt, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Huw Jones, 23 Scott van Breda. - The Star