Stormers to bank on wizardry of Kolbe

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - JANUARY 30: Cheslin Kolbe of the Stormers during the Super Rugby warm up match between DHL Stormers and Toyota Cheetahs DHL Newlands Stadium on January 30, 2015 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Luke Walker/Gallo Images)

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - JANUARY 30: Cheslin Kolbe of the Stormers during the Super Rugby warm up match between DHL Stormers and Toyota Cheetahs DHL Newlands Stadium on January 30, 2015 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Luke Walker/Gallo Images)

Published Feb 11, 2015

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The Stormers are ready to come out guns blazing against the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday night when they fire their first shots of the 2015 Super Rugby season (kick-off 7.10pm).

“There’s no bigger challenge than facing the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, but our boys are up for it, no doubt,” Stormers attack coach Robbie Fleck said yesterday.

The nature of the Bulls challenge customarily involves absorbing an overtly physical onslaught from a behemoth forward pack, and then avoiding being chased down a cul-de-sac by an airtight kicking game.

It looked likely that the Stormers might get some relief from the latter tactic when Francois Hougaard emerged from the pre-season as the Bulls’ first-choice scrumhalf.

The 26-year-old is a gifted open-field runner and a gritty defender, but his struggles in the kicking game were showcased again during last year’s Rugby Championship.

“Hougaard is a quality scrumhalf, and he adds a lot of positives to the Bulls make-up,” said Fleck.

“With him at No 9 the Bulls are much more of a threat around the fringes, and I think his kicking game has come on in leaps and bounds.

“People always try to compare him to (70-Test World Cup-winning Springbok) Fourie du Preez, which I think is a bit unfair – Du Preez was in a different class in the kicking game.”

Hougaard has played half as many Tests as Du Preez, and 40 percent of those were on the wing.

On Monday night, a return to the extremity of the backline became a possibility for Hougaard after crocked Bulls wingers Akona Ndungane and Travis Ishmael were ruled out of this week’s match.

Former Cheetahs halfback and two-Test Bok, Piet van Zyl was expected to be named at No 9 when the Bulls announced their team today.

Either way, the three-time Super Rugby champions will take aim at a Stormers back three that is light in the shorts and in experience.

The sub-80kg duo of Cheslin Kolbe and Dillyn Leyds have been tipped to start on the left wing and fullback respectively.

Kolbe’s electrifying lateral agility and speed are widely celebrated, while Fleck rates the latter as a gifted playmaker. However, the physics of momentum counts against both minnows in contact.

“In my book, there’s always a place for Kolbe and Leyds,” said Fleck. “Those guys will play a massive role in the way we want to play – quick, fast rugby, and we want to beat teams with skill.”

More than most, Kolbe and Leyds depend on receiving ball on their own terms. They have reason to be confident of getting exactly that as, for once, injuries may count in the Stormers’ favour.

The Bulls injury report also listed Bok scrum juggernauts Dean Greyling and Marcel van der Merwe, as well as third-string tighthead Hencus van Wyk.

In their absence, the Stormers will engage a front row boasting off-season acquisition Adriaan Strauss, but one anchored by vulnerable tighthead Werner Kruger.

If the visitors get the shove on at scrum time, the Bulls will be denied one major launchpad for forward forays, along with a tidy base for their halfbacks to fire kicks from.

Nothing puts a smile on Kolbe’s face like wayward kicks into his vicinity. Given the opportunity, the explosive return man will cut a ragged Bulls chase-line to pieces on his way to the end zone, and the Stormers will win their season-opener for the first time since 2012.

“It’s massively important to get off to a good start against South African opposition,” added Fleck. “If you want to get anywhere in this competition, you have to win your conference and that means you need to beat (the SA) opposition every time. We have to take the momentum forward that we built up in (winning) the Currie Cup.” - Cape Argus

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