THE high-riding Stormers face arguably the toughest test of their United Rugby Championship campaign on Saturday when they face Connacht in Galway (3pm SA time kick-off.
The Irish outfit are just a point ahead of the Capetonians on 24, so coach John Dobson will hope that his team can pull off a famous victory at The Sportsground.
But the Bulls found out on their European tour that Connacht are hard to beat on their home ground, so here are five lessons from that game that the Stormers would do well to heed this weekend…
Prepare for the wind
The Bulls were caught napping when they went down 34-7 to Connacht last October. There was a strong wind blowing on the night, and the South Africans had it behind them in the first half.
But Jake White’s side were trailing 10-7 at the break, and were blown away in the second half as Connacht kicked them deep into their 22, and the Pretoria side battled to get out of their own half.
The weather forecast seems to be even worse for the Stormers on Saturday – a high of 10°C, with a ‘real feel’ of four degrees, and a stiff 30km/h southerly wind.
It’s not going to be pretty.
Watch out for the shape of the field
White complained afterwards about how The Sportsground pitch was sloped into a particular corner, where the wind also comes from.
So, the Stormers backline will have to keep the passes short and be assured with their handling.
Don’t just rely on mauls and scrums for penalties
The Bulls got on top of the Connacht pack, and were able to launch a number of mauls from lineouts, while they also won the scrum battle.
But time and again the Irish side were able to stop some of those drives.
The Stormers have been bolstered by the return of tighthead prop Neethling Fouché, as well as No 8 Evan Roos, so they will look to put the heat on the Connacht pack – but that cannot be their only attacking ploy.
Be wary of the breakdown interpretations
The Bulls were frustrated by the referee in charge of their game against Connacht, Englishman Ben Blain, who will also be the man with the whistle in the Connacht Stormers clash.
Some of Blain’s calls at the breakdown baffled the Bulls.
The Stormers have some heavy hitters in Steven Kitshoff, Scarra Ntubeni, Fouché, Adre Smith and Roos, who will have to be as agile in cleaning out the rucks and staying on their feet as they are when carrying the ball.
Take the three points
The Bulls were not getting any joy from the referee at the mauls and scrums, but continued to set up lineouts instead of taking a shot at goal.
The Stormers should be more streetwise than that, which means they must take the three points when they’re on offer.
@AshfakMohamed