Stormers wary of Beale
The Stormers are rather concerned that returning star Wallaby centre Kurtley Beale might provide the Waratahs with the required kick they were desperately short of last year.
The Stormers start their Super Rugby away leg in Sydney today against the Tahs having beaten the Jaguares 28-20 in Cape Town last weekend, while the home side open their campaign.
Beale, 29, a veteran of 71 Wallaby Test matches, played 68 games for the Tahs between 2007-2011, 14 for the Rebels from 2012-13 and another 42 for the Tahs between 2014-16 before playing 17 games for Wasps in the UK from 2016-17.
Stormers coach Robbie Fleck said that in anticipation of the aerial threat that Beale, fullback Israel Folau and flyhalf Bernard Foley will pose, he has decided to name high-ball experts SP Marais at fullback and JJ Engelbrecht at centre.
Stormers skipper Siya Kolisi (above) said they know that having to play six of their first nine games away from home was always going to be a tall order but is confident they are up to it.
“We are going to take it game by game, we all know it is going to be tough,” he said.
“Either way it doesn’t matter, we have got a tough draw, but we don’t look at it that way, it is going to be good for us.”
Kolisi said even though their first game against the Jaguares was a tough encounter, it gave them a positive mindset ahead of their departure last Sunday.
“The most important thing for us ahead of the start of the competition was that game against the Jaguares,” he said.
The Stormers, however, were pushed all the way and in the dying minutes with a lead of just 2520 had to rely on a Damian Willemse penalty to make the game safe.
“We had put all of our concentration into that game and we knew that if we started off well and win at home we will go on tour with a positive mindset,” he said.
In 19 previous encounters the Stormers have won 10 and the Waratahs eight, with one game drawn.
Kick-off: 10.45am.
We are going to take it game by game, we all know it is going to be tough. Siya Kolisi Stormers captain