Bekker marks Stormers’ first
He will become the first player to represent the side 100 times on Saturday
LOCK Andries Bekker will become the first player to represent the Stormers 100 times when he takes the field against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Bekker, 29, will leave the Cape side at the end of the season to take up a lucrative Japanese club contract, but first he has a big part to play in steadying the Stormers’ turbulent season.
Following three defeats in the opening five matches of their campaign, the Stormers know that a fourth loss against the high-riding Cheetahs will leave them firmly on the back foot as the season approaches the halfway mark.
Coach Allister Coetzee has made six changes to the squad that lost 1914 to the Crusaders last weekend, three of them enforced by injury.
In comes prop Steven Kitshoff after a one-week suspension, with Pat Cilliers dropping to the bench.
Flank Michael Rhodes will make his Stormers debut in place of the injured Rynhardt Elstadt, scrumhalf Nic Groom takes over from Dewaldt Duvenage and Jaco Taute comes in at fullback, with Joe Pietersen moving to the wing in place of the injured Gerhard van den Heever.
On the bench, Vodacom Cup lock Gerbrandt Grobler could make his debut with the injured Don Armand falling out, while scrumhalf Louis Schreuder and flyhalf Gary van Aswegen also ride the pine.
The 23-year-old Van Aswegen, who has endured an injury-plagued two seasons after being touted as a future star, could find himself in the starting line-up if Elton Jantjies fails a late fitness test on Friday after suffering bruising to the sternum. If Jantjies drops out, Van Aswegen will start, with Tim Swiel taking his place on the bench.
The most interesting omission was at scrumhalf. For the past two weeks, Duvenage’s kicking and tactical game were preferred over Groom’s nippier service, but Coetzee appears to have had a rethink.
“This weekend’s expected hightempo game is suited for Groom and Schreuder, which is why Dewaldt has dropped out,” Coetzee said. “They are all good scrumhalves, but it’s a fast pitch in Bloemfontein and conducive to having a go.”
Oddly, the Cheetahs have selected Piet van Zyl over Sarel Pretorius at halfback, suggesting they are looking for the opposite — a better tactician behind the scrum.
Pretorius is a superb sniper around the fringes, but his pass is weak and his ability to control the game questionable. Van Zyl has a much stronger kicking game and more accurate service, indicating that the Cheetahs will look to press the Stormers’ lineout, just as the Crusaders did last week.
Stormers captain Jean de Villiers sidestepped the question of whether their season was at a crossroads, but he did appear to indicate that there was a great deal of confidence in the camp despite three losses.
“Look, we’d like to have five wins already, but you can’t underestimate the quality of the teams we’ve played,” De Villiers said.
Meanwhile, after making a mess of the Stormers’ lineout last weekend, the Crusaders have targeted the Sharks’ scrum as the set piece area to gain an advantage come Saturday.
Captain George Whitelock said the key set piece contest will move to the scrums this week and they will look to get the better of Springbok hard men Beast Mtawarira and Jannie du Plessis in the front row.
“The lineouts will probably cancel themselves out and the scrum is probably each other’s strengths, so that is probably where it will hit,” Whitelock said. “The Sharks have a massive pack and really like to dominate sides, so it is going to be one hell of a clash of two sides who pride themselves on getting good set piece ball. I guess we’ll see what unfolds and who ends up being dominant.” With Sbu Mjikeliso