There was laughter and there were smiles on the faces of the Stormers’ players and management when they emerged from a huddle ahead of yesterday’s training session in Bellville.
It showed what Saturday’s winning start against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld meant to all and sundry.
The fact that they were largely written off ahead of the game would have made it even sweeter for coach Allister Coetzee and his charges, as his band of inexperienced youngsters put in a great display to beat a Springbok-laden Bulls side.
Yesterday Coetzee praised the six debutants, who had their first taste of the intensity of Super Rugby, as well as a few fringe players who had to lift their game in the absence of a few key Springboks.
The Stormers were without Springboks Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Jaco Taute, Siya Kolisi and Argentine lock Manuel Carizza for their opening match of the season. But, after a nervous start, the Cape side dominated the Bulls at the set-pieces and the collisions.
Their game management was excellent, as they actually looked stronger in the last 10 minutes of the match in the rarefied atmosphere of the Highveld.
“The players have put their hands up. It’s always a good position to be in, if you think about the so-called replacement players performing like that, it creates a great competition and healthy rivalry,” Coetzee said yesterday. “The players outside the team need to understand that they have to work hard to get back into the team. And that is a great situation to be in.
“They have got to be 100 percent physically to produce this kind of performances as well. They have the experience and we know their capabilities, but I think it’s important that they are fit as well.”
So two of those Springboks will have to work hard this week to show Coetzee that they deserve a crack on Saturday when the Stormers take on the Blues at Newlands(kickoff 5pm).
Tighthead prop Malherbe (who needs to bring his A-game to dislodge Vincent Koch), and Kolisi have resumed full training and will be in the reckoning. Wing Kobus van Wyk, though, will be assessed tomorrow to see whether his calf injury has sufficiently healed to take on the Auckland side.
In what must be a first for the Stormers, there were no casualties after the match at Loftus.
Wing Dillon Leyds, fullback Cheslin Kolbe and lock Jean Kleyn didn’t take part in training yesterday, but Coetzee says they are being managed and will be available for selection when he announces his team on Thursday morning.
The Stormers win over the Bulls was one of several upsets in the first round of the competition. There is a theory that the teams with the most internationals lost those matches because the players are scared to pick up injuries or might be managing themselves.
Coetzee is not entirely convinced that is the case, but said the other players are certainly pushing for a World Cup berth.
“No one is going to say (to the Springboks) ‘hey, we understand you guys want to peak later in the year’. And the okes are coming out in this competition to say ‘look at me’,” Coetzee said. “I’m happy that the players here know that they have to train hard and perform. I can’t speak on behalf of the other teams. We must have a culture where players are rewarded for hard work.
“If Eben doesn’t perform, then he won’t be selected, because there is a Jurie van Vuuren who came on and made a big impact.”
The win against the Bulls is certainly going to heighten the expectations of the Newlands faithful ahead of their first home match of the season.
The Stormers haven’t had a good run in this tournament after finishing on top of the standings and making the semi-finals in 2012. The Cape side finished seventh in 2013 and 12th in 2014, and there wasn’t much hope of them making even the playoffs this year.
However, the win against the Bulls, as well as they way the played, will definitely add a bit more pressure on the Stormers.
“The reality is we have been in this situation before. It’s not something that is completely different and needs a different approach,” Coetzee said.
“This is the beginning of the season and we have only played one game, so we can’t judge whether we are a good team or a bad team. (But) if you become arrogant, you can be cut to size very quickly. For us it’s important to have that belief and keep building on that,” Coetzee added. - Cape Times