Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani insists there is still significant room for improvement ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Dragons.
The Stormers are coming off a 32-19 win against the Bulls at Loftus last week that ended a three-match losing run in the Vodacom URC and moved them back up to second on the log.
“Improvement is the big thing for us,” Hlungwani said on Thursday. “We thought a lot of facets of our game against the Bulls were pretty good, but if you want to win a competition, you have to keep getting better.
“Our scrum was good, but technically [scrum coach] Brok [Harris] is still challenging the boys to improve. The lineout maul is another area where we felt we could have been better in terms of our conversion rate. So there are definitely things we still want to fix.”
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Hlungwani said rotation and players returning from injury were central to the Stormers’ selection process for Sunday’s match.
“In the forwards, there’s not a lot of change in terms of cohesion,” he said. “[Loosehead prop] Vernon Matongo has been coming off the bench regularly, so starting isn’t a big shift. It’s the same with [hooker] JJ Kotzé. [Tighthead prop] Neethling Fouché recently had a break so it’s good to keep momentum by retaining him.
“[No 8] Evan Roos is back after missing last week and brings energy, while [loose forward] Marcel Theunissen stays in the mix after a strong performance against the Bulls.
“[Flank] Ben-Jason Dixon has played big minutes, so it’s good to give him a breather and use him off the bench, where he can also cover lock.”
On veteran flank Deon Fourie, who returned after a five-month injury lay-off to start at Loftus, Hlungwani said: “It will be important from our point of view to keep him going. He had a good start last week. We planned for 30 minutes and he made it to 35. Let’s see how far we can push him.”
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In the backline, the return of key players is equally significant.
“Dan du Plessis is back after a long injury lay-off and will get an opportunity at 12, while Damian Willemse moves to 15, where he’s very comfortable. It’s also great to have [winger] Seabelo Senatla back — he’s experienced and understands the game well.”
Hlungwani stressed the importance of reintegrating players ahead of the Investec Champions Cup and URC playoffs.
“The depth of the team, the balance of the game time and number of games in the season really helps you when you get closer and closer to playoffs,” he said.
“Obviously, we want to win the game [on Sunday] and improve, but we are looking ahead a bit as well. We feel it’s the perfect time to bring in some experienced guys to get some game time and build some good momentum going forward.”
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However, the Stormers are not taking the 14th-placed Dragons lightly.
“We’re not looking at certain games and thinking we can go easy,” said Hlungwani. “Every single week we want to challenge ourselves. If we get the small things right, we believe the result will take care of itself.”
Photos: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Rito: Stormers have to keep getting better appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani insists there is still significant room for improvement ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Dragons.
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