It’s ball-in-hand for Schalk
VAN ASWEGEN IS THE GUY, SAYS STORMERS COACH
PLAYING rugby in Cape Town in January is not the most desirable thing to do, but while Schalk Burger enjoys spending time on the beach, his first love is still able to get him going in what is his ninth year of senior rugby.
“I wish I was still on the beach! You’ve got to start some- where, as the competition is getting closer. There’s no fitness like match fitness, so it will be good to get a run-out,” the Stormers captain said yesterday ahead of Friday’s pre-season friendly against the Lions at Newlands (7pm kickoff).
“Luckily it seems to have been a bit cooler this week! The boys took some strain up there in Wellington at the weekend.”
Burger and the rest of the Stormers’ Springboks have had a longer off-season than usual following the national team’s World Cup quarter-final exit in October, while there also wasn’t an end-of-year tour.
But it’s a massive rugby season coming up in 2012, with Super Rugby, a three-test England series in June, more Super Rugby, a new Rugby Championship, the Currie Cup and an end-of-year tour …
And it is likely to become an even more significant year for the 28-year-old Burger, as he is a strong candidate to become the new Bok captain following the retirement of John Smit and Victor Matfield.
Burger believes that the Lions will treat the clash as a “bit of a fitness session”, though, and he is expecting the Johannesburg side to throw the ball around. The skipper says such an approach will assist the Stormers in their quest to get their attacking game going, something which regressed last year following a stellar 2010.
The Cape side won’t be lacking any firepower either after coach Allister Coetzee chose his top players yesterday, with Bryan Habana, Gio Aplon, Jean de Villiers and Juan de Jongh playing their first games of 2012.
“You tend to make more tackles, but I quite enjoy it when the ball is in play more. You actually get a chance to do a bit more,” Burger said.
“Hopefully we can get the balance right this year, and you can build phases and structure your attack nicely. Nowadays there is more general attack, as teams are reluctant to kick the ball out. This weekend, it’s important to get that right.
“The Lions play with a lot of endeavour and try to keep the ball in hand, quick throw-ins. I suppose it suits us, as we want to play with a bit of structure, but want to get our general attack sorted out and try to carry the ball for as many phases as possible, to get confidence with ballin-hand and time on the ball.”
Coetzee said that he chose his “strongest possible side” bar injuries, which sees Andries Bekker, Duane Vermeulen, Rynhardt Elstadt and Dewaldt Duvenage sitting out for another week. Deon Fourie gets an opportunity to start ahead of Tiaan Liebenberg at hooker, while Louis Schreuder got the nod over Nic Groom at No 9.
Gary van Aswegen also gets his chance to make an impression at flyhalf, with Peter Grant still in Japan until March. “Gary has to play with Jean and Juan. We’ve got to build with an eye on the 25th (February against the Hurricanes), to get your best possible combination going,” Coetzee said.
“I don’t know if Peter will come back in one piece! Gary is the guy here, and he is competing with Burton (Francis) and Demetri (Catrakilis). He cer- tainly is looking very sharp. We are starting this weekend and will take it from there.”
STORMERS TEAM
15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Gary van Aswegen, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Nick Koster, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Schalk Burger (capt), 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Steven Kitshoff. Bench: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Don Armand, 20 Reuben Johannes, 21 Nizaam Carr, 22 Nic Groom, 23 Burton Francis, 24 Marcel Brache, 25 Gerhard van den Heever, 26 Danie Poolman.