What recipe has Fleck got in his back pocket?
STORMERS coach Robbie Fleck has something brewing for the Brumbies. Some concoction is simmering away on his stove. It’s a recipe that he is keeping in his back pocket.
But what is this “something different” they want to add to their game plan tomorrow night at Newlands against a Brumbies team who haven’t missed a trick in their first three matches of the 2016 campaign?
The Australian side obliterated the Hurricanes in their first match of the campaign, before treating the Waratahs and the Western Force like doormats in the next two games.
But Fleck is of the opinion that this Brumbies team have had it all their own way in those matches, and that teams haven’t been able to take them out of their comfort zone. But how can this Stormers side outmanoeuvre the Brumbies if they struggled to put away a rather pedestrian Sharks team?
The Stormers showed glimpses of what they can do when their stars aligned on attack last week. But those moments weren’t frequent enough to suggest that they will be able to put the Brumbies to the sword with the ball in hand.
The Stormers were far too predictable and easy to defend against last week. And that is something the Brumbies’ defence feasts on, because that makes it even easier for the likes of ace fetcher David Pocock to anticipate and steal the ball at the breakdown. Just think back to last year’s playoff between the two sides.
So what is it that Fleck has up his sleeve for the Brumbies? Will they try and put up a few up-and-unders? Especially on inexperienced fullback Aidan Toua?
The answer is probably “no”, because they actually want to keep possession and beat the Brumbies with skill and a bit of flair. This Stormers team want JOHN GOLIATH Game to watch Bulls v Sharks (tonight, 7pm) The Bulls have been a bit bi-polar in this year's Super Rugby competition. They have produced the good, the bad and the horrendous in equal doses in the first few rounds of this competition. But this makes them a very entertaining team to watch. Lets see what they dish up tonight against the unbeaten Sharks. Stormers to win or lose? LOSE! Everybody has a soft spot for this Stormers team. They have a new coach, a few exciting youngsters and they are trying to play an entertaining brand of rugby. But they just don'thave enough firepower (yet) to blast a team like the Brumbies away. Maybe next year. to be fearless in their approach.
“We have got one or two things that we would like to try out. If you just go through the normal procedures, and you allow the Brumbies to dictate the game, they will beat you,” Fleck said yesterday.
“We had a good week in terms of our prep and the analysis of the opposition, and we are taking a fearless approach in everything that we do this year and we are going to try one or two things.
“I felt in the first three games of the comp that nobody tried anything different against them, and that is where we are going to try to be a little bit different. You certainly have to challenge them in the areas where they are good at, otherwise it will be an easy day for them.”
The scrum is certainly an area where the Stormers can dominate the Brumbies, much like they did in last year’s playoff. A retreating scrum will put Pocock and Scott Fardy under Smashing the Rebels didn’t soothe the sting of the Bulls’ season-opening loss at Newlands. Back from a bye, they’re eager to throttle their Durban rivals at Loftus. It’s been a short week for the unbeaten Sharks, who may still have tender shoulders from tackling the Stormers into the ground. Stormers to win or lose? LOSE! The Stormers will be tactically smarter than they were in last week’s reverse against the Sharks, but the core of this Brumbies team aced the Winning Tactics 101 exam years ago, and that will give them the edge in what will be a tight contest at Newlands tomorrow. pressure to do their thing on the back foot.
But the Brumbies do boast an all-Wallaby front row in Ben Alexander, co-captain Stephen Moore and Scott Sio. And over the last two matches, teams have started to match the Stormers in the scrum department.
The Cape side’s pack, though, needs to step up because you feel that’s the only chance they have of winning this one –- for the eight guys up front to totally dominate the Australian side.
“There is a lot of talk about our scrum. It was successful last year and we started off the first game really well,” Fleck said.
“The last two games I guess the opposition packs have come at us. People realise that our pack is strong and they are going to target our pack. It will be a good sign of maturity if our pack understands that, because they may feel that if they get hold of our pack they TEAMS FOR NEWLANDS Stormers: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Juan de Jongh (co-captain), 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Kurt Coleman, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Schalk Burger, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Nizaam Carr, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe (cocaptain), 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg. 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 23 Leolin Zas. Brumbies: 15 Aidan Toua, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Joe Tomane, 10 Christian Lealiifano (co-captain), 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Jarrad Butler, 7 David Pocock, 6 Scott Fardy, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore (co-captain), 1 Scott Sio. 16 Josh MannRea, 17 Allan Alaalatoa, 18 Leslie Leulua’iali’i-Makin, 19 Tom Staniforth, 20 Jordan Smiler, 21 Michael Dowsett, 22 Robbie Coleman, 23 Nigel Ah Wong. Referee: Jaco Peyper Kickoff: 7.15pm, SS1 SS HD1 Fixtures Today: Hurricanes v Force, Central Energy Trust Arena, 8.35am, Waratahs v Highlanders, Allianz Stadium, 10.45am, Bulls v Sharks, Loftus Versfeld, 7pm. Tomorrow: Sunwolves v Rebels, Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, 6.15am, Crusaders v Kings, AMI Stadium, 8.35am, Reds v Blues, Suncorp Stadium, 10.45am, Lions v Cheetahs, Ellis Park, 5.05pm, Stormers v Brumbies, Newlands, 7.15pm, Jaguares v Chiefs, Estadio Jose Amalfitani, 11.40pm