If Adele can get over her stage fright, surely Stormers can sing in the red zone?
STAGE fright is a terrible thing. But even the best of performers suffer from it once in a while.
Adele, that woman with the spectacular voice who has made a lot of money because of a bad break-up with her boyfriend, is one of the biggest stars who suffer from a bit anxiety on the big stage.
“I’m scared of audiences. I get sh*tty scared. One show in Amsterdam, I was so nervous I escaped out the fire exit. I’ve thrown up a couple of times. Once in Brussels, I projectilevomited on someone. I just got to bear it. But I don’t like tour- ing. I have anxiety attacks a lot,” Adele told Rolling Stone Magazine in 2012.
In 2013 Adele visited a hypnotherapist to cure herself of stage fright so that she can overcome her fears to perform in front her adoring fans.
It has helped to an extent, as Adele is probably one of the best live performers at the moment. She has managed to suppress her fears and deliver quality performances week-in and week-out.
The Stormers have been suffering from a bit of stage fright when they have surged into the opposition’s 22-metre area during the course of Super Rugby.
They have played some of their best rugby this season between the two 22 metre lines, as they get over the advantage line with their big forwards and get a lot of momentum.
However, they seem to go blank when they get into the red zone, and try the same approach that got them there in the first place.
They tend to be a bit impatient, and it was especially evident against the Bulls in front of the 45 000 spectators that crammed into Newlands on Saturday.
Instead of rumbling it up a few times to create space and then let the ball go wide to try and get over the line, they insisted on trying to get over the line with one-off runners.
To be fair, the Stormers were also unlucky against the Bulls, as Duane Vermeulen dropped Schalk Burger’s offload close to the tryline and a planned backline move was thwarted because a forward pass.
So, the attacking intent is there. But it’s about the execution and maybe varying the play a little bit more. You need more thought and guile to break down defences these days, especially if your lineout malfunctions like the Stormers’ did on Saturday, as the maul is a big attacking weapon for the Cape side.
The Stormers have been able to get away with a few penalties, which Demetri Catrakilis has converted in the opposition’s half. And that has been their chief source of points in matches.
Catrakilis is probably the best goal kicker in the competition, and he had one of his best outings of the season against the Bulls.
I still think Kurt Coleman is the better all-round No 10 because he has the ability to add more spark on attack with his running game and taking the ball to the line. And maybe he is the answer to the Stormers' struggles on attack in the red zone.
But Coleman made a few crucial errors on Saturday night when his restart from the 22 went straight into touch and gave the Bulls a sniff to hit back. He also didn’t find touch from a penalty. Unfortunately, you can’t make those sorts of mistakes at this level or at this stage of the competition.
Catrakilis doesn’t make those sort of mistakes that could cost you a match, and that is probably why the Stormers are persisting with him at flyhalf.
But Catrakilis will have to start to take control of this team, especially in the red zone. He needs to make decisions in the opposition teams’ 22-metre area.
He needs to be the Stormers’ hypnotherapist to get over the stage fright. Otherwise all of them will be jeered off stage. TWEET OF THE WEEK @JuandeJongh: Ey!! TwitterFam thanks for all the support throughout this weekend #muchlove... Have a gr8 #Freedomday2015. It’s all about #Love #Respect. WHO TO FOLLOW @Cheslin_Kolbe11: The pocket rocket has been selected for the Bok training camp. But will Heyneke Meyer select him for the Springboks?