Stephen Nell

Cape Town – Barend Pieterse may only be on the Cheetahs’ bench, but whether he plays or not, the Stormers will still view him as a key player in Saturday’s Super 14 match at Newlands.

“Barries has been the Cheetahs’ lineout coach for the past few years, even if he has not played. You can clearly see his influence because the Cheetahs have one of the most effective lineouts in the Super 14,” said Stormers lock Anton van Zyl.

“They are very effective in the middle and at the back, and that has a lot to do with Barries, who is a student of lineout play.”

Van Zyl believes the loss of David de Villiers will be a blow for the Cheetahs in terms of experience, but he has been impressed with Waltie Vermeulen.

“David is a very good lock. His work-rate is very high and he is also very good in the lineouts. He took over Barries’ role at No 5 and performed excellently.

“Waltie looks a good prospect. He has good support with Nico Breedt at No 4 and Barries on the bench.

“The loss of David is one of experience, but I don’t expect it to have a major impact.”

One man who has had an enormous influence at the Stormers this year is Van Zyl’s lock partner, Andries Bekker. It will certainly be interesting to see how Vermeulen performs against him.

Bekker was again one of the Stormers’ star performers against the Hurricanes on Saturday.

Sireli Naqelevuki probably deserved his man-of-the-match award, but it could easily have gone to Bekker or Stormers captain Schalk Burger.

“Andries is a world class lock and is only getting better. He could just as well have been the man of the match in every game that we won,” said Van Zyl.

“Nobody here underestimates his role in the team.”

According to the statistics that Fika supply to the Stormers, Bekker executed 12 tackles against the Hurricanes and missed 2 for a success ratio of 85,7%. That placed him above the team’s average of 83,1% on defence for that game.

As far as his contribution in the lineouts are concerned, he has taken 30 of the 33 balls that were thrown at him for a success ratio of 91%.

While he works hard and gets stuck in physically, his skills are still evident in the opportunities he helps to create. Just ask Joe Pietersen, who scored the Stormers’ second try on Saturday thanks to Bekker and Naqelevuki’s off-loads.

Bekker won 43 metres with the ball under his arm with 6 runs for an average of 7,17m per run. He got over the advantage line 3 times.

Should Pieterse be returning to the game with serious ambitions, he will be well aware of the standard set by Bekker.

The same applies to young Vermeulen, who will have to sink or swim at Newlands.

Stormers v Cheetahs, Cape Town - 17:05

Stormers:
15. Joe Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Tim Whitehead, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Peter Grant, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Francois Louw, 6. Schalk Burger (captain), 5. Andries Bekker, 4. Anton Van Zyl, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Wicus Blaauw

Substitutes: 16. Deon Fourie, 17. JC Kritzinger, 18. De Kock Steenkamp, 19. Pieter Louw, 20. Ricky Januarie, 21. Willem De Waal, 22. Sireli Naqelevuki

Cheetahs:
15. Hennie Daniller, 14. Lionel Mapoe, 13. Robert Ebersohn, 12. Meyer Bosman, 11. Jongi Nokwe, 10. Naas Olivier, 9. Sarel Pretorius, 8. Frans Viljoen, 7. Juan Smith (captain), 6. Hendro Scholtz, 5. Waltie Vermeulen, 4. Nico Breedt, 3. WP Nel, 2. Adriaan Strauss, 1. Wian du Preez

Substitutes: 16. Ryno Barnes, 17. Coenie Oosthuizen, 18.. Barend Pieterse, 19 Kabamba Floors, 20. Tewis de Bruyn, 21. Corne Uys, 22. Danwel Demas