Cape Town - The Stormers don’t want to try and innovate rugby, they know their strengths and improving on that week in and week out is the goal, simple as that.
So says skipper Steven Kitshoff, and that objective will be even more important this weekend.
John Dobson’s group will meet Ulster in a United Rugby Championship semi-final battle at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday after defeating Edinburgh 28-17 in the quarters last weekend despite some major disruption in the midfield after going into the game without the red-hot Damian Willemse and losing Rikus Pretorius early in the fixture.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Kitshoff explained how they started aiming higher as their confidence grew.
“I think when we got back from that break in January, before we started our home leg, the goal was to just end top eight. I think as the season carried on and we started gaining momentum, the team started gaining confidence.
“Our priorities and goals shifted. We had a clear picture of what we wanted to achieve this season, and I think building on that momentum, working hard for each other and good analysis and good coaching is what got us where we are today.”
On what they changed to help them build an impressive nine-match winning streak, the Bok captain said: “There were a couple of things around the kicking game that we sorted out and the way we actually wanted to move the contact point. We wanted to get confidence on defence and improve our defensive systems.
“I must say, our training schedule and our weekly plan is quite simple. We don’t try and innovate the game of rugby each week, we understand what makes us good and for us it’s just about improving on that week in and week out.”
While clear and sunny weather is expected for Saturday's 3pm kick-off, the World Cup-winning loosehead prop warned against making the mistake of thinking their Irish opposition won’t too enjoy the opportunity to let the ball do the work - something they beautifully complimented with just-as-superb defence against Munster last Friday.
“I wouldn’t say the conditions suit us 100 percent because Ulster are also a very structured team. They like ball-in-hand and the drier the ball, the easier the type of game they want to play becomes,” he said.
“I think it’s going to be very hot and feel like a proper summer’s day in Cape Town. There are probably going to be a few guys breathing heavily. We will try and keep the pressure on the ref to try and keep the tempo up, but we understand that guys tend to take the knee to rest a while and catch a breath, especially in knock-out rugby. It’s part of the game."
Over 20, 000 fans made their way to the Cape Town Stadium for the game against Edinburgh, and Kitshoff and co are hoping for another strong turnout as they go into their biggest game of the season.
“I think the atmosphere last week was exceptional and it was great to have the Faithful back. Hopefully, we get close to full capacity - loud and noisy with a lot of cheering, so it’s going to be quite exciting.”
@WynonaLouw