Rob Houwing

I think we can say it’s “official” now: the Stormers’ 2010 renaissance is for real.

They were earning significant plaudits in New Zealand for their team resources and calibre of play even before the 37-13 thumping of the Hurricanes which took them to fairly unfamiliar real estate of second on the table on Saturday after round five.

For instance, former All Blacks front-row hard man Richard Loe enthused in the New Zealand Herald newspaper at the weekend about one specific, prominent aspect of Stormers strategy thus far: “They use a weapon I am a great fan of – the rolling maul.

“It keeps the ball off the ground, which negates the whole tackled ball issue and takes the fetchers out of the game. It also requires the defending sides to commit their forwards.

“The old pick-and-go move invariably results in the ball-carrier going to ground and the Stormers do less of that and more of the rolling maul.”

Loe was making an extremely valid point, as the Newlands faithful – getting closer and closer to forcing “full house” signs in Cape Town again, by the way – have frequently seen for themselves this year the value of the collective “rumble up” by their side.

It is especially gainfully used, I think, when the Stormers secure lineout ball near the opposition try-line; they started scoring some precious tries via that route in last year’s Currie Cup and the trend has continued into the Super 14.

The fact that, in broader terms, Schalk Burger’s team are beginning to add genuine attacking crackle now to their rock-solid defensive organisation, means they are looking more and more likely to get into the semi-finals frame for the first time since the 2004 Super 12, when they finished third and then succumbed 27-16 away to the Crusaders in the knockout phase.

Of course, though, this competition is renowned for weird implosions and momentum shifts - apart from the obvious, extra consideration that we are not even at the midway point of the league phase.

And, as much as smart money ought to stay on them to see off the Cheetahs in a Newlands derby this Saturday, it remains important - even if not quite earth-shatteringly so – that the Stormers retain current, winning thrust.

For failure to bank the log points (at least four of them) against combative Juan Smith and company might suddenly threaten all over again their fierce semis aspirations this year.

It could be forcefully argued, you see, that their most hazardous assignments still lie ahead of rather than behind them. Without wishing to be a party-spoiler, they have already coughed up a home fixture to the Brumbies, and two of their four wins have come against the Lions and Highlanders, both of whom seem very likely candidates at this point for “bottom four” status.

The overseas tour is also yet to be negotiated, even if it is the favourable, alternate-year one involving only four games, and arguably against easier foes in some instances (in order, Force in Perth, Blues in Auckland, Chiefs in Hamilton and Reds in Brisbane).

When the traditionally confident-travelling Stormers played the very same foes abroad in 2008, they won three of the games, being edged out only by the Blues, although coach Allister Coetzee is sure to remind his charges that overseas wins in the Super 14 never just grow on trees – despite being injury-riddled, the Reds, for instance, have been rather surprise packages in 2010.

Eight wins tends to be the very minimum passport to the last four in the Super 14, and even that is sometimes not enough, as the Brumbies can testify in 2006 when they ended sixth because they failed to register a healthy crop of bonus points.

Indeed, a year later they improved their victory tally to nine … and still found themselves squeezed just out of the frame in fifth!
So if you go and do the maths, you start to realise why the Stormers being upset by the Cheetahs – far from an impossibility – would turn the heat back on uncomfortably.

It has to be remembered that even when they return from the Antipodean leg, the Stormers finish the programme with three particularly stiff fixtures: Crusaders in Cape Town, Sharks in Durban and Bulls in Cape Town.

Also-rans the Sharks will almost certainly be – you can pretty much attach that label already, sadly - but you can bet your last dollar they will “get up” for the Stormers’ visit, while the credentials of the other two hardly require elaboration.

Both the Bulls and Crusaders are “been there, done that” customers, after all, in terms of the silverware, something that remains virgin territory for the Stormers.

Nevertheless, it is comforting from a national point of view that the Bulls and Stormers are going such great guns right now, and playing sparkling (though intriguingly slightly different) brands of “footie” into the bargain.

Let’s all enjoy the moment, shall we?

Rob is Sport24's chief writer

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