Stormers admit defence will be tested by Chiefs

The Stormers have shown they can score tries this season‚ which is a positive development‚ but they have occasionally lost defensive shape in their quest.

It is an aspect of their game the Stormers admit they will have to sharpen up when they take on the Chiefs at Newlands on Saturday.

The Super Rugby quarterfinal is a repeat of 2016‚ when the Stormers were hammered 6021 by the Chiefs at Newlands. This year they beat the Chiefs 34-26 in Cape Town and have also beaten the Blues at home.

So far the Cape side has scored 64 tries in 15 matches‚ which included matches against the five New Zealand franchises.

It is an impressive return when measured against their 2016 form when they scored 49 tries in the pool phase without playing against a Kiwi team.

But the Stormers have not always been as effective on defence this season‚ with 61 tries leaked as opposed to the 28 at the same stage last season. But in 2016 they were not exposed to the ruthlessness of the New Zealanders’ attacking game.

In five matches against Australian opponents in 2016 the Stormers conceded a respectable 12 tries.

In five matches against Kiwi teams this season‚ the Stormers have leaked 30 tries — nearly half their tally for the year.

It illustrates the battle they will have when they meet the Chiefs for a second time in Super Rugby in 2017.

“We were happy with our tempo and intensity against the Bulls [the Stormers won 41-33 at Loftus last Saturday]‚ which were two of the goals we wanted to achieve in the game‚” coach Robbie Fleck said.

“We purposely didn’t kick out because we wanted a high number of minutes with the ball in play and we wanted to constantly be in the game and put them under pressure with their fitness.

“We also wanted to get our physicality right and we certainly did that. But individual errors let us down and that allowed the Bulls to stay in the game and get back at us,” Fleck said.

“That is an area we have to address because we leaked some soft tries. We can’t give Kiwi teams time and space so we will have to get off the line quickly and shut them down.”

Chiefs co-captain Sam Cane was noncommittal on whether the recent drawn All Blacks series against the British and Irish Lions would be a boost for opponents against Kiwi teams‚ but he was complimentary of Stormers skipper Siya Kolisi.

The All Black even paid the Bok flank a decent compliment by comparing him to a Kiwi back-rower.

“He [Kolisi] is a South African loose forward that plays a lot more like a Kiwi‚” Cane said. “He’s got good footwork‚ a great skill set and is very physical too.”

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