The DHL Stormers have returned to Cape Town from what they will regard as a missed opportunity to make it two wins in two starts on a Vodacom URC tour, but with their confidence boosted by the knowledge of the star quality that is set to flood back into the team this week.
The 17-13 defeat at The Hive in Edinburgh was a setback in the sense that there was one clearly identifiable reason they lost a game they should really have won comfortably. The lineout was so poor that it almost defied description, and for a good mauling team like the Stormers, not being efficient at lineout time is a double whammy in the sense that not only do you surrender possession to the opposition, you also deny yourself a big weapon.
However, as defence coach Norman Laker pointed out, “Getting six points from a two-match tour doesn’t leave you too much to complain about”. And he’s right; it is the home games that are particularly important, and that starts this coming Saturday when the Stormers host the Hollywoodbets Sharks in a rare early URC derby.
Given that the lineouts were such an Achilles heel against Edinburgh, there will be some understandable angst around that aspect of the game, but the good news is that the Stormers should have their top two hookers, Andre-Hugo Venter and JJ Kotze, available for the game.
“I think Andre-Hugo will be able to play in this game. I think he will get through the protocols,” said Laker.
Kotze is back after missing the tour for family reasons, which means there is unlikely to be a place for Vernon Paulo, who was the backup in Edinburgh. Because it was once he had come on as a replacement that the Stormers' lineout went walkabout, Paulo will be equated with the implosion, although Springbok veteran Deon Fourie, who has just turned 40, believes that is unfair.
And of course Fourie would know, because he has played hooker for the Boks recently, and knows a few things about how collective issues can combine to make it look like the man throwing the ball in is to blame, whereas it is about more than that.
VERSATILE FOURIE
Nonetheless, the Stormers do have players to choose from when it comes to hooker, even more so if you factor Fourie into the equation.
“I will play wherever the team needs me to play,” said Fourie in answer to the inevitable question about his readiness to play hooker for the Stormers.
Fourie is one of several Boks back in the system this week, and Fourie commented that he is pleased not to be one of the coaches who have to make some interesting decisions.
One of those is who will wear the No 6 jersey, with Siya Kolisi, who returned to Stormers colours last week after a few years at the Sharks, having two other capped Bok openside flankers in Fourie and Paul de Villiers with him in the squad.
Much could depend on whether Ben-Jason Dixon is cleared to play his first URC game of the season, but there’s an additional star quality loose-forward who didn’t play in the win against Connacht or, for that matter, the narrow loss to Edinburgh, Evan Roos, back in the selection mix this week to further complicate the selection quandary.
“Evan is like Andre-Hugo; his availability will depend on a fitness test to be conducted earlier in the week, but we are expecting him to be ready to play,” said Laker of the No 8, who was forced out at the 11th hour from the Connacht game after suffering a hamstring strain in training.
Current Boks back in the selection mix after taking a break last week following the end of the national team’s southern hemisphere international season include, in addition to those mentioned, the likes of Zachary Porthen, Wilco Louw, Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian Willemse all should be available for the Sharks game.
“All our Boks are available, with the only exception being Cheslin (Kolbe), who is out because of his broken jaw (suffered playing for the Boks in the RGR series),” said Laker.