Stormers are working on the ‘magic’

FINISHING has been one the Stormers’ biggest weaknesses over the last few years.

The Cape side have left a lot of tries out on the park because of their inability to convert chances when they find themselves in the opposition’s 22-metre area. They tend to look like a million bucks outside the “red zone”, but seem to suffer a bout of stage fright when they have to go for the kill.

This year, on their path to playing with a bit more freedom and adventure, they have created quite a few opportunities. But they have again lacked that finishing touch.

Patience and execution have been their biggest problems – not waiting for another phase to find space or not finding the open man on the outside when a player breaks the line.

But how do you coach that, if it’s not something that comes naturally to South African players, who aren’t taught to trust their instincts. So it’s going to take time for Stormers coach Robbie Fleck to get it right, but he is certainly trying his best.

“You have to sit with the player and ask him what is he thinking at that moment (when he goes through a gap and needs to find the open man), go through the footage and just working with them in that regard,” Fleck said.

“You have to take it onto the field and create drills where they are in that situation on a consistent basis. The good thing is that we are creating opportunities. We are getting more line breaks and half bursts than ever before.

“Let’s look at that and say that is good, we are on the right track. The next step is the finishing, because we haven’t created opportunities like that in a long time.”

The Stormers have scored some great tries over the last two weekends, which suggests that they are already on the right track. Siya Kolisi’s try against the Lions and Vincent Koch’s try against the Reds highlighted their ability to offload in the tackle and create space.

“The players in the changeroom were so excited about (Koch’s) try at the end there. That is the passion and the vibe that we want to get going,” Fleck said.

“We want to improve, and the finishing is the next step. It’s a work in progress, but the players are starting to get comfortable, and those moments of magic will come. If we can convert half of our line breaks into points, we can become a good team.”