CAPE TOWN - The Stormers either got a bit of a fright against the Jaguares or they genuinely don’t believe in underestimating any team, because stand-in Stormers skipper and tough guy Eben Etzebeth has braced his side for a “tough match” against the Kings in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
The Stormers, who got a perfect start to their Super Rugby season with a 37-24 win over the Bulls at Newlands, had to fight hard against the Jaguares last week, as the Argentinians challenged them at the breakdowns, made them work hard on defence and kept the game tight until the siren went and the Stormers snatched the 32-25 win.
And on Friday Etzebeth, who will lead the team in the place of Siya Kolisi who is being rested, said that the Stormers would like to build on their momentum, but warned that the Kings won’t be a walkover.
“We definitely want to continue the season like we started. We know it’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be a tough match in PE. It would be nice to go into our bye with three out of three wins,” said Etzebeth.
“We’ll take it play by play and minute by minute, we don’t look at the bigger picture. Whether we get four points or five points, we’ll take it. But we definitely want the win. And like I said, it won’t be easy, but we’ll do everything in our power to get that win. If we can score three tries more than them it’ll be a bonus.”
Against the Sunwolves in Singapore last week, the Kings secured a convincing 37-23 victory, and despite the fact that both sides were guilty of a number of handling errors and conceded several turnovers, the Kings, who had lost key players to injury, just made better use of their chances.
And despite the weak moments that the Kings sometimes let slip into their games, it was their fighting spirit that had Stormers coach Robbie Fleck cautious.
“It was a great one. It’s never easy playing there. I know the Sunwolves are a new team under new management, but it’s always tough to go there and play away,” said Fleck.
“And the Kings came back with the win and it was a convincing win. They’re doing some good things. They always fight and it’s going to be a tough game. But we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
The Stormers will be looking to build on their impressive scrumming over the first two matches. Young prop Wilco Louw has made a big impact in this area, and this week it is the turn of Oli Kebble and Frans Malherbe to start. There will also be a lot of interest in whether Dan du Plessis and EW Viljoen click as a centre pairing. Damian Willemse, who is on the bench, is a special young talent and it will be great if Fleck gives him a few minutes of game time.
Guys like flyhalf Lionel Cronje, scrumhalf Louis Schreuder, prop and captain Schalk Ferreira and hooker Michael Willemse all featured for the Stormers before, and Fleck and Etzebeth will want to zoom in on Cronje, who produced a faultless performance on the kicking tee last week, while his general play was also satisfying.
And it will be interesting to see how his halfback pairing with former Stormers No 9 Louis Schreuder holds up against that of the Stormers’ Robert du Preez and Dewaldt Duvenage.
“I think it’s always the case - when a guy goes to a different union and he plays against his former union he’ll want to prove a point. They’ll want to have a good game against us. And I wish them good luck.”
Teams for the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium:
Kings: 15 Masixole Banda, 14 Makazole Mapimpi, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Luzuko Vulindlu, 11 Malcolm Jaer, 10 Lionel Cronje, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Riaan Lerm, 7 Themelani Bholi, 6 Chris Cloete, 5 Irne Herbst, 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Ross Geldenhuys, 2 Michael Willemse, 1 Schalk Ferreira (captain). Replacements: 16 Kurt Haupt, 17 Schalk van der Merwe, 18 Chris Heiberg, 19 Willem van der Sluys, 20 Andisa Ntsila, 21 Johan Steyn, 22 Pieter-Steyn de Wet, 23 Berton Klaasen
Stormers: 15 SP Marais, 14 Dillyn Leyds, 13 EW Viljoen, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Bjorn Basson (Stormers debut), 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 6 Rynhardt Elstadt, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth (captain), 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Oli Kebble. Replacements: 16 Ramone Samuels, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Chris Van Zyl, 20 Jaco Coetzee (Super Rugby debut), 21 Justin Phillips (Super Rugby debut), 22 Kurt Coleman, 23 Damian Willemse (Super Rugby debut).
Kick-off: 3.05 pm
Referee: Shuhei Kubo