Stormers up for the challenge

Fleck’s men ready to face Highlanders after tough week following big defeat

STORMERS coach Robbie Fleck says his team did well in terms of preparation for their clash against the Highlanders despite a “tough week” after their heavy defeat to the Crusaders.

Preparing for a big game after taking a 57-24 beating the week before would be hard for any team, and Fleck said that long travelling and the shorter week (playing today as opposed to tomorrow) also added to it.

“We still had to travel to Dunedin, it’s quite a long flight, and get all our meetings and training in place. But we’ve done well.”

Fleck has made a lot of changes for their clash with the Highlanders today, but Pieter-Steph du Toit moving back to lock wasn’t one of them. And Fleck believes that picking Du Toit at No 7 gives his loose trio “the right sort of feel”.

The Stormers coach made nine changes in total to the team that lost to the Crusaders last week, including two positional changes. These positional switches will see Dillyn Leyds moving back to the left wing with SP Marais returning from injury at fullback, while Nizaam Carr moves from openside flank to No 8.

Sikhumbuzo Notshe, who started at No 8 in Christchurch, moves to the bench, while skipper Siya Kolisi starts at No 6.

“At lock Chris van Zyl is injured, so Jan de Klerk comes in for him. Pieter-Steph had a good game at No 7 last week. We feel the loose trio we have selected for this game has the right balance and the right sort of feel,” said Fleck.

“We felt in the Lions game that preceded the tour that we needed someone to do the ball carrying role that Pieter-Steph does so well and that was why we chose him there last week. He had an outstanding game so we have decided to stick with it. Siya has played openside before but with him there we now feel we have two ball carriers on the flanks.

“At the moment we are struggling to get in behind the opposition and maybe having Siya and Pieter-Steph together we will achieve that better. We need to get more momentum up front than we currently are so that the backs can run onto the ball a bit better.”

Although Du Toit will feature at flank again, he will still call the shots at the line-outs, and Fleck added that it would have been a bit of a push to bring JD Schickerling, who has joined the squad in New Zealand, into the mix so soon after recovering from injury.

“JD could have played at a push but he was only due to fly out to join us next week so we decided not to rush him. Pieter-Steph can move to lock later in the game and we have two loose-forwards on the bench in an attempt to blunt the Highlanders’ high tempo game. We felt we’d need the extra pace and mobility later in the game,” he said.

In the two other changes to the pack, props Oli Kebble and Frans Malherbe come into the starting line-up ahead of Wilco Louw and JC Janse van Rensburg.

“We felt that Frans needed some game time as he hasn’t had that much recently and he made a great impact when he came on last week and it is the same with Oli. JC and Wilco have started a lot of games this season,” said Fleck.

In the backline, Dewaldt Duvenage makes way at No 9 for Jano Vermaak, while Dan Kriel will start at inside centre in the place of Dan du Plessis, who dislocated his shoulder against the Crusaders.

Former Highlanders centre Shaun Treeby is set to make his Stormers debut off the bench, and with flyhalf Kurt Coleman having picked up an injury during training this week, Bjorn Basson will provide cover on the bench.

Fleck also added that they were looking forward to the game, and a number of threats, the Highlanders pose.

“Tactically they are very smart. They like to play rugby in your half.”

the same page, another reputable Comrades expert threatens – very graphically – to shoot anyone who goes on a long run from now on. It was pretty good actually as he put up a picture of Madea – the lead character in Tyler Perry’s series of movies – with a flywheel gun in her hand and a look that would have had even John Wayne hesitating to draw. “I dare you to do one more long run, I dare you” – the caption simply read.

A work colleague who has closely followed my progress in my newfound pastime agrees and told me after Two Oceans I shouldn’t do any more long runs. Pssst, don’t tell him – but I ran 60km last Sunday. My excuse? It’s April still, the month of LSD’s. No, we’re not doping silly! LSD is an acronym for Long Slow Distance not the drug commonly known as acid.

My club’s whatsapp group takes the cake, with those who’ve done the race before sharing their pearls of wisdom and others similar to them giving the exact opposite tips. Us poor novices are left scratching our heads. What to do?

On Sunday morning, for instance, I will be up by 8am to watch Bonitas’ House Call on SABC 2 as per coach’s suggestion because there will be a “feature on the Comrades Marathon with inspiring wellness tips”.

Yet what I’ve picked up is that every runner must go with what works for them. Sure listen to the advice, but don’t lap it all up as gospel.

The overwhelming wisdom in road-running, I also got this from my uncle Titus Mamabolo for last year’s Soweto Marathon, is that you should take it easy early on and reserve your energy for later. Fair enough! But I’ve discovered I am better off flying away from the start so that by the time I feel tired, I’ve covered enough ground to can take it easy and still finish in a good time. That’s how I finished my maiden marathon in 3h43 and how I completed Two Oceans a fortnight ago in 5h08.

Will this strategy work on June 4! Probably not, given the length (87km) and difficulty (an Up Run with lots of hills) of the race.

But I am choosing to trust in what has worked for me thus far, the multitudes of advise from all over notwithstanding. After all, as the veterans say, the information is going to come in droves from May. And I cannot allow myself to get more overwhelmed than I already am. ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS: Stormers coach Robbie Fleck says his team is over their drubbing at the hands of the Crusaders and are ready to take on the Highlanders today and ready to get their season back on track after two losses.