Stormers end off with a lift
Coach relieved but frustrated after victory over Sharks
Stormers coach Robbie Fleck felt a mixture of relief and frustration after his side beat the Sharks 27-16 at Newlands on Saturday to end a disappointing campaign in an uplifting way.
Three well-taken tries in the first half showed the Stormers’ potential‚ only for them to become ragged and sloppy in the third quarter before finishing strongly again.
The Stormers have not been able to string an 80-minute performance together once during a campaign that saw them lose 10 of 16 matches.
It is a situation that Fleck is well aware of and frustrated by.
“It was nice to finish off on a high and once again we showed so much promise by building a good half-time lead [21-9], but then let ourselves down a bit after the break‚” Fleck said.
“The Sharks played better in the second half‚ but we did let them back in the game. We showed character and pride towards the end of the game.
“We probably had a bit of luck on our side for the first time this season as they had two tries turned down. For a change the calls went our way and that gave us some energy towards the end and we were able to finish the game off.
“The first half showed what this side is capable of doing.
“We did it to the Lions and a number of other teams. But we will look back and regret losing to the Waratahs‚ Sunwolves and Lions‚ because if we had won two of those three we would have made the playoffs.”
There is no doubt the Stormers were capable of creating chances this season, but sloppy execution was one of their biggest problems.
If Fleck is retained as head coach‚ he understands that working on decision-making‚ offloading and composure are keys to improving next year.
Fleck and his staff will conduct a thorough review of the season with director of rugby Gert Smal. The outcome will then be presented to the Stormers board.
There is an understandable push to see Fleck fired, but after taking his team to two playoffs in three years‚ he perhaps deserves the chance to see out his four-year contract.
The Stormers have won 26 of 48 matches, with 21 losses and a draw.
A 54% winning ratio is obviously not good enough, but it is better than the Bulls and the Sharks over the 2016-2018 period.
“The review will take a couple of weeks‚ which is something we do every year and then see what happens. We need to start planning for 2019,” Fleck said.
“We grew our depth this year and though the results weren’t what we wanted, we believe we potentially have a very good squad and management to take this team to the top. That is our motivation and part of our review.”
Sharks assistant coach Dick Muir, meanwhile, admitted his side had “shot themselves in the foot” after Saturday’s loss.
Had the Sharks won‚ they would have moved into eighth on the standings and in a playoff position.
But they are now three points behind the Melbourne Rebels and face the Jaguares in Durban next week.
“We did shoot ourselves in the foot a bit as our destiny was in our own hands and now it is not‚” Muir said.
“Maybe we can still get through, but we have work to do and the way I see it we need to bank on beating the Jaguares with a bonus point.”
A bonus point win might not be required if the Rebels do not earn a point at all when they take on the Highlanders in Dunedin in their final match.
But if the Sharks do scrape through the back door and into the playoffs‚ they will come up against the Crusaders in Christchurch‚ which is a daunting prospect.
Beating the Jaguares next week is their first objective, though.
Of course‚ if the Rebels cause a major upset and beat the Highlanders earlier in the day‚ the Sharks are out of it regardless of what happens against the Jaguares.
Since 2015‚ the Rebels are the only Australian team to have beaten a New Zealand team away from home – in early June when the Rebels beat the Blues 20-10 in Auckland.
The Sharks will also go into next week’s clash against the Jaguares without Jean-Luc and Daniel du Preez.
The Bok back-row twins are both injured, with Daniel stretchered off against the Stormers with what Muir described as a “neck injury”.
That was the reason Muir did post-match media duty‚ as head coach Robert du Preez went to hospital to be with Daniel‚ suggesting the injury might be serious.
Muir was cagey about whether he felt the Sharks had grown this season‚ particularly as they have won only six of 15 matches, with eight losses and a draw.
Against the Stormers they started slowly‚ conceding three first-half tries and trailing 21-9 at the break before producing a better second half.
“We have one good game and then one bad one‚ we have one good half and then a poor half‚” he said. –
‘For a change the calls went our way and that gave us some energy towards the end’ Robbie Fleck STORMERS COACH We did shoot ourselves in the foot as our destiny was in our own hands Dick Muir SHARKS ASSISTANT COACH