Stormers will bring the heat
But they are worried about their returning players at altitude
OTHER than lose, the last thing Scarra Ntubeni probably wants to do on Saturday is to have to ask the referee to move the scrum into the shade again.
And Stormers coach John Dobson doesn’t want to tire his forwards out to that point either.
Speaking at a media briefing in a hot and humid Riebeeck Kasteel yesterday, Dobson explained why he’s likely to go with a six-two bench split again for their Super Rugby contest against the Lions at Ellis Park, and also why the chose the old town to go and have their early-week training session in.
Dobson said that one of the main reasons for their choice of location is to simulate the conditions they might encounter on the Highveld, while the six-two split is to ease in his forwards who have recently returned from injury. And there are a few of them.
Lock JD Schickerling and loose forwards Cobus Wiese, Juarno Augustus and Johan du Toit all recently worked their way back to fitness.
Basically, he can’t expect his forwards to play for 80 minutes, especially not at altitude.
While discussing the importance of hooker Ntubeni staying injuryfree now that Bongi Mbonambi could miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his torn hamstring, Dobson joked about something Ntubeni had said to referee Marius van der Westhuizen during their match against the Bulls.
“He asked Marius if he could move the scrum five meters to the side, into the shade, to get out of the heat.”
It didn’t work but it was worth a try ... Ntubeni’s question is one the whole pack would be tempted to ask the referee Jaco Pyper even more at Ellis Park, given the conditions, especially if they have had an extended run.
And while Dobson added that he’d like to go back to a five-three split, he said it’s not likely to happen this weekend.
“We’ve just got so many forwards who have been injured and haven’t played for such a long time, guys likes Cobus Wiese and JD and Trokkie. I do want to go back to fivethree, but we’ll probably go six-two again this week.
“It is a risk at Ellis Park because sometimes guys like Ruhan Nel and Dillyn Leyds do cramp, we will be under pressure, but to ask those long-term (injury) guys like Trokkie to go 80 minutes isn’t really a possibility.”
The Stormers’ goal-kicking was a concern at the weekend, with Damian Willemse missing a number of kicks.
That has absolutely no bearing on his position this weekend, or going forward, as Dobson made clear.
“We’re committed to Damian, and on review his general game was pretty good.
“We’ve seen him kick at goal, we saw it again today, so that was just his off day. He’s the future, I absolutely do not doubt that.
“I think his ceiling is the highest of any flyhalf in South African rugby, I must be honest. We sticking with him, that’s not going to change.
“His defensive work is brilliant, I mean Jamie Roberts was saying to us it’s just such a treat to know you’re safe in the inside got you’ve got this physical guy there.
“We either have to fix it or find someone else if he’s having an off day, but we’re not replacing him.”