The Stormers are assessing their lineout system rather than blame hooker Vernon Paulo alone for the issues in last week’s defeat in Edinburgh.
John Dobson’s troops went down 17-13 at Hive Stadium and lost 11 lineouts, including one in stoppage time with them chasing a second win on tour in the northern hemisphere.
Springbok André-Hugo Venter went off for an HIA in the 22nd minute and did not return, with Paulo replacing him and battling in windy conditions.
“From our side, we don’t have to look too much beyond our performance in the lineout. We lost 11 [and] you can’t win a game if your plan in those conditions is based around the maul,” Dobson said post-match.
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The director of rugby promised the Stormers will “fix the lineouts” by Saturday’s coastal derby against the Sharks in Cape Town.
Deon Fourie, who started at hooker for South Africa against the All Blacks the last time he ran out at Cape Town Stadium on 29 August, stressed that every element and the entire team contributes to the success or failure at lineout time.
“Ja, we must go and look at the whole system, at the plan. It’s a bit harsh on the public out there and all the media outlets to point fingers just at Vernon. I think it’s a collective issue,” he said on Monday ahead of the round-three URC clash in the Mother City.
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“The conditions weren’t the best as well. I think we’ll just go and look at the collective side of everyone’s job in a lineout. It’s not just Vernon or the hooker who throws in.
“It’s the lifting, it’s making the right calls as well. So everything plays a part. We’ll do a review on that and then see where we can be better.
“We’ll definitely support him,” the 40-year-old Fourie added. “I’ve been there through my career – stuff that doesn’t go your way in a game and you feel a bit down, feeling like you’ve let the team down.
“But that’s absolutely not the case. Like I said, it’s a collective thing.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
The post Fourie: We can’t point fingers just at Vernon appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The Stormers are assessing their lineout system rather than blame hooker Vernon Paulo alone for the issues in last week’s defeat in Edinburgh.
The post Fourie: We can’t point fingers just at Vernon appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
