Former Springbok captain Jean de Villiers has questioned the Stormers’ tactics after their costly Vodacom URC defeat to Cardiff at the Arms Park.
The Stormers went into the final round of the league stage knowing a victory would secure a top-two finish and potentially an easier route to the final.
Instead, they slumped to a disappointing 22-16 defeat that saw them finish third on the log behind Glasgow and Leinster.
While John Dobson’s side will still host a quarter-final against Cardiff on 30 May, they may now have to travel to Dublin for a semi-final.
The Stormers’ final two league-stage matches – a 38-38 draw against Ulster in Belfast and the defeat to Cardiff – were both played on artificial 4G surfaces, something De Villiers felt should have suited the Cape side’s attacking style.
“It’s quick,” De Villiers said on the Boks Unpacked podcast. “When the Stormers are on top, it’s when they throw the ball around, get it to their magic-makers. And dry conditions … And that’s what they had on the weekend, and then they go and maul every lineout.
“You can have scrum dominance, but if it doesn’t reflect on the scoreboard …
“I was blown away by the approach of the Stormers.”
KEO: Stormers blew their big chance
Former Bok flank Schalk Burger agreed.
“Once you get over the gain line, you just stay on top of the ball and the defence can’t recover,” he said.
“From an attacking point of view, those fields should suit the Stormers with their ball-carriers and runners.
“Your speed of ball will outflank them, but you’ve got to be direct when you do it.”
However, Burger said the surface had counted against the visitors on defence.
“If the Stormers do have a weakness on those fields, it’s the way they defend. They narrow quite a bit and they rush a bit.
“You think about [Ulster wing] Werner Kok’s hat-trick against them – all just simple balls over the top because they are short a number.”
ALSO: Forgotten Stormers bruiser set for comeback
Burger also warned that the business end of the season presents unique challenges for the Cape side.
“This time of year is where I get nervous for the Stormers,” Burger said.
“You get evening kickoffs and in Cape Town it can be wet or slippery, so your scrum gets a little depowered.
“Then it becomes about doing the simple things really well – game discipline and work rate.
“And if there are two things where I think the Stormers fall flat often, it’s out-and-out work rate and game discipline.”
Burger acknowledged the Stormers had done well to finish third on the log.
“But if they win those last two games, they probably finish top and it’s a very different outlook for the semi-finals,” he added.
Photo: Cardiff Rugby/Facebook
The post Jean ‘blown away’ by Stormers’ approach appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former Springbok captain Jean de Villiers has questioned the Stormers’ tactics after their costly Vodacom URC defeat to Cardiff at the Arms Park.
The post Jean ‘blown away’ by Stormers’ approach appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
