Stormers wary of Cheetahs
IF the Super Rugby standings are anything to go by, the Stormers should comfortably beat the Cheetahs at Newlands this weekend and take another step closer to the semifinals.
But league standings, South African derbies and foregone conclusions have nothing in common.
The Stormers are nine places and 18 league points better off than the Cheetahs at this stage of the season, but even so, there is a cautious air around Newlands as a result of an unexpected setback several weeks ago.
Earlier this month, the Stormers arrived in Bloemfontein to play against what could only be called a makeshift Cheetahs team, and limped away after losing 25-17.
Since then the Cheetahs have been through internal turmoil with coach Naka Drotske announcing he would step down, with this weekend being his last game in charge after nearly nine years at the helm.
They have also lost heavily to the Highlanders and the Lions since beating the Stormers, and on the face of it, it looks like they have imploded completely.
But the Stormers are not taking anything for granted, especially as the players might find something extra as a farewell to Drotske and assistant coach Os du Randt.
“The emotional stuff will always come into play, but for us it’s about remaining focused on what we have to do to get the job done,” coach Allister Coetzee said.
Backline coach Robbie Fleck suspects the Cheetahs might find some extra motivation not only because of the coaching situation, but also because of their desire to always beat the Stormers.
“There might be some emotion from their side going into the game. But our focus is to stay calm and execute our plans properly.
“We have to make a big improvement from our performance in Bloemfontein . . . A weaker Cheetahs team, coming off a few losses, was supposed to make it easy for us, but it’s never quite like that. The Cheetahs are always dangerous, no matter who they put on the park.
“They always view the Stormers or Western Province as one of their big games of the season and one of the matches they always want to win. So we are expecting a very tough challenge,” Fleck said.
Captain Duane Vermeulen said it was important that the team not be sucked into distracting issues. “We need to remain focused and work towards the goals we have set,” he said.
“It will be nice to play at home and we don’t want to let the fans and ourselves down. There is still a lot of work to do to reach the semifinals and we will do it like we always have, by assessing the situation after each game.”