Get behind Province

THE Stormers are always a different proposition at Newlands, in front of their faithful fans who have supported them through glory days and bad days.

But they will be especially happy to feel the green green grass of home under their hands and feet when they take on the Blues tonight.

Let’s call a spade a spade: The Stormers had a nightmare tour in New Zealand, conceding more than 50 points against the Crusaders and the Highlanders, and more than 40 against the Hurricanes.

Those scorelines paint a bleak picture, and yet all is not lost. And what is more, their fans are likely to show a bit more patience than usual right now.

Under coach Robbie Fleck, the Stormers have made clear and decisive moves away from the “kick and defend strategy” of the previous era.

They started that with the appointment of New Zealander Paul Feeney as their skills coach, and Fleck (himself a very creative player in his day) has driven a strategy where the emphasis is on attacking rugby. Offloading in the tackle and playing with creativity and skill are the cornerstones of the strategy. The players have been encouraged to make their decisions based on what is in front of them, and not on some pre-programmed structure. Let’s not forget that it’s a recipe that brought them six wins in a row at the start of the season.

Yes, there have some loud hiccups over the past few weeks, but Fleck is quite right to point out that the flowers of a change in mindset and culture do take a while, even a year or two, to fully bloom. And he has not backed down from his goal since returning from New Zealand.

Thanks in part to the convoluted format of the competition, the Stormers are still in with a very good chance of making the playoffs. They can make a strong statement by outfoxing the Blues (and Sonny Bill Williams!) tonight. So let’s welcome captain Siya Kolisi and the Stormers back home to Newlands tonight as only we Cape fans can.