Fleck won’t accept a fourth loss
THERE’S something about the Free State Stadium that makes the Stormers go blank. It’s the sort of numbness you feel when you sit down for a big test you’ve studied weeks for but, suddenly, you can’t even remember how to spell your name.
It’s been that bad. On their last three visits to the City of Roses, the Stormers have managed to lose games they should have won. Last year, they made a plethora of mistakes in the first 20 minutes against the Cheetahs and found themselves 15-0 down. Then, after fighting back to get within striking distance, Kurt Coleman, whose slick passing actually gave them a sniff after he came on at halftime, couldn’t slot the kicks they needed to win.
Stormers coach Robbie Fleck can’t really explain why they have suffered so many meltdowns in central South Africa. Fleck, though, is hoping the curse of Bloemfontein is not going to affect the new crop of Stormers players coming through, and that they will build on last Saturday’s bonuspoint win against the Bulls.
“I can’t really point out what goes wrong in Bloemfontein,” he said yesterday. “We haven’t done well there over the last few years, but it’s a new team, new management. We are going up there to just keep improving and just come back with a win.
“We aren’t going to dwell too long on what’s happened in the past. We know we have lost three years in a row there, but we aren’t going further than that.”
One thing that has been a common theme in all those Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Francois Venter (captain), 12 William SmallSmith, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Niell Jordaan, 7 Uzair Cassiem, 6 Paul Schoeman, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Maks van Dyk, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Charles Marais.
16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Luan de Bruin, 19 Francois Uys, 20 Boom Prinsloo, 21 Henco Venter, 22 Tian Meyer, 23 Niel Marais. Stormers: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Dillyn Leyds, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Juan de Jongh (co-captain), 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5 PieterSteph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Oli Kebble. 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 Frans Malherbe (co-captain), 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Nic Groom, 22 Kurt Coleman, 23 Huw Jones. Referee: Craig Joubert Kickoff: 5.10pm, SS1 SSHD1. losses is the Stormers’ lack of patience in attack. They either kicked the ball away aimlessly against a Cheetahs team who enjoy counter-attacking, or forced a pass instead of holding onto the ball for a few more phases.
The Cheetahs thrive on other people’s mistakes; it’s like their oxygen. That’s why they enjoy playing at a million miles an hour – on defence and attack – to unsettle teams.
The Stormers’ execution will have to be close to perfect if they want to put away the Cheetahs tomorrow. There were quite a few wayward passes and some aimless kicking in the first half against the Bulls last week, but they got it right in the second half and the result was three tries.
“We need to be a bit more patient on attack, maybe build a few more phases and not force our passes,” Fleck said.
“They like a high-tempo game, with quick lineouts, quick taps. They want to avoid the set-pieces. The ball in play was about 30-odd minutes, and it could be up to 40 minutes this weekend.
“Our conditioning played a huge role, and I was happy how we finished against the Bulls. So if that is the challenge at altitude, we are going to be tested in terms of your conditioning. But the way Steph du Toit put the guys through their paces makes me comfortable that we will be able to last the 80 minutes.”
Leolin Zas is the only change to the Stormers team for tomorrow. He replaces Kobus van Wyk, who hasn’t recovered from an ankle injury suffered against the Bulls, at left wing. A former Baby Bok star, Zas showed his class last week when he skipped past a defender with his first touch in Super Rugby.
“I don’t want to build any players up or anything like that, but I would like to see is much of the same (from Zas). He is a young player who has come through our system, and he’s worked incredibly hard in the pre-season,” Fleck said.
“He is still a young kid and still has lots to learn, but he’s got plenty of speed and is a classic finisher.”