Coetzee doesn’t want to wait

“We try not to pay too much attention to the log situation, but I think it is fair to say that if we beat the Sharks in Durban on Saturday we will have made sure of our place in the semi-finals,” said Coetzee.

“That is why this is a massive game for us. It is about crossing the frontier, making sure of reaching the semi-finals. In that sense it is the most important game of the season for us thus far, and the players know it. If we beat the Sharks we can then see what we have to play for and aim at when we host the Bulls at Newlands in the final game and take it from there.”

When his team returned from tour, Coetzee said his men would be targeting the two home games against the Crusaders and the Bulls as must-wins. He said those would be enough to ensure a place in the semi-finals. However, a win over the Sharks will not only make the play-offs a reality, it would also virtually secure a home semifinal.

Home ground advantage remains a massive factor in the Super 14, and the South African record in play-off games down the years suggests that to concede home advantage would be tantamount to kissing goodbye any hopes of actually winning the competition. The Stormers know it, and though they are not saying it publicly, they must also still harbour a desire to edge out the Bulls at the top of the log if at all possible.

That means they need to go all out against the Sharks. They are five points adrift of the Bulls at the moment, but have a vastly superior points differential, which means that if the two teams end with the same number of log points, it will be the Cape side that finishes top. The Stormers would not feel their chances of finishing top were unrealistic if they arrived at the final league game against the Bulls four log points behind.

But the Stormers are not taking the Sharks challenge lightly, and they know that beating John Smit’s men in Durban is going to be a tough ask.

“Derby matches are always tough and we are expecting the same physicality from the Sharks against us as they produced against the Bulls,” said Coetzee.

“The Sharks’ strength is their pack and we know where the challenge will come from. But we have matured hugely as a pack of forwards this season, and I thought we showed a lot of composure in seeing off a concerted early forward onslaught from the Crusaders.

“The Sharks may be out of the competition, but I know what these games are like. The Sharks players will be thinking about Springbok selection, about making a point to the selectors.”

Bismarck du Plessis, such an important part of the Sharks tight five, is out of rugby for three months after injuring a neck vertebrae, and Coetzee agrees it will make a difference.

“Bismarck will be missed by any team, he is a very good player. But the Sharks are fortunate in that they have John Smit, and even if he didn’t play, Craig Burden is also an excellent hooker.”

The Stormers are to name their team on Wednesday but it appears unlikely that Bryan Habana will be part of it. Tim Whitehead is expected to take up position on the left wing, with a fit again Joe Pietersen coming in on the bench.