Cape Town - The unusual errors in the second half last week won’t result in the Stormers moving away from their attacking style in Saturday’s Champions Cup clash against London Irish at Cape Town Stadium (7.30pm kickoff), according to centre Ruhan Nel.
John Dobson’s team had a 14-3 halftime lead against Clermont in France last weekend, but ended up going down 24-14 in icy weather conditions at the Stade Marcel Michelin.
But now that they will be back at their Cape Town Stadium fortress, Nel is confident that his team will find their groove with ball-in-hand again.
Clermont played with much greater conviction in the second half, with their forwards carrying strongly and imposing themselves physically on a Stormers side that had the edge upfront in the opening 40 minutes, but gradually became “softer” in defence, according to Dobson.
“We are who we are – we are not going to change it up because of one loss. To have dropped two games in the last year is a stat worth celebrating for the Stormers team,” Nel said yesterday.
“The conditions were something I’ve never experienced! When I woke up in the morning, there was snow on the ground… We are very fortunate to play in nice warm weather.
“When you look at our pass quality when we transition from defence into attack, it’s normally so accurate to get the ball into the wider channels.
“Now we have to first catch and then make a decision all play a role in them shutting us down, and we had to chase the game… You will get one or two panicky decisions, and you make mistakes, so credit to Clermont. I definitely think conditions played a role.”
London Irish, though, will be tough to beat. They lost 32-27 to Montpellier at their Brentford home ground last Friday, but still boast a solid team that includes the likes of former Wallaby lock Rob Simmons, ex-Irish Test flyhalf Paddy Jackson and veteran Argentinian hooker Agustin Creevy.
“London Irish have a very expansive style and are not scared to give the ball air. So, we will have to be sharper in trying to cut them down in the first and second phases. Their lineouts are quite good, and they are able to launch really well,” Nel said.
“They like to attack, just like us, so we must be wary of giving the ball away or kicking poorly to give them unnecessary turnover ball so that they can use that space.
“It will be nice to play against a team that also like to give the ball some air.”
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The Stormers should be bolstered by Springbok prop Frans Malherbe and lock Marvin Orie this week, but defence coach Norman Laker said that they are still waiting to see if a few others are over their injuries.
Flank Nama Xaba participated in a light training run yesterday, but fellow loose forward Ernst van Rhyn is still awaiting the result of a scan after leaving the field in the first half against Clermont.
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Lock Gary Porter took a blow to the ribs in France, but Laker said it wasn’t fractured, so he is “touch and go” for the London Irish game.
The Stormers are still hoping for a medical update on centre Dan du Plessis as well, who was withdrawn from the Clermont clash with illness.
IOL Sport