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Cape Town - After the Stormers superb 49-15 victory over the Chiefs in Hamilton last week, Stormers coach Allister Coetzee believes the big challenge for his team is to repeat that performance against the Reds in Brisbane on Friday.
The Stormers have already proven to be the best defensive team in this year’s competition. Against the Chiefs they managed to get the balance right between defence and attack.
The Cape Franchise produced their best performance of the season against the Chiefs and the challenge will be to maintain the same levels of intensity against the Reds.
But it is not going to be an easy task. The Reds showed last Saturday what they are capable of when they beat defending Super 14 champions, the Bulls by 19-12 in Brisbane.
“To get the balance right between defence and attack is something that we’ve been striving for the whole season. The guys are currently showing great accuracy and composure on attack. Against the Chiefs the teamwork was superb. The challenge will now be to keep the guys fresh so that they can tackle the Reds with the same intensity on Friday,” said Coetzee from Brisbane on Sunday.
The Cape Franchise showed against the Blues and the Chiefs that they have the physical presence to strangle Ewen McKenzie’s team in the engine room.
Coetzee is confident his team has the right personnel and tactical acumen to beat the Reds on their home turf.
“Against the Blues and the Chiefs the Stormers forwards played magnificently. They laid the foundation by providing quality front foot ball in the scrums and line outs. Besides the quality play of the forwards in the set phases, their support play in the tight loose was outstanding. They could literally be covered with a blanket. It is however very important to come up with a few adjustments against the Reds,” explained Coetzee.
The Brisbane outfit has been impressive so far this season and the Stormers can expect a tough battle on Friday. They have a dangerous half back pair who will have to be neutralized if the Stormers hope to beat them in Brisbane.
“Will Genia and Quade Cooper have set the game alight this season. All the Reds attacks are based around them. They will have to be watched closely,” warned Coetzee.
After the match against the Reds, the Stormers have tough assignments in South Africa. They host current log leaders and multiple Super 14 title winners, the Crusaders, travel to Durban to tackle the Sharks, before returning home to lock horns with the Bulls in Cape Town. This game is already sold out.
Stormers captain Schalk Burger believes this year’s battle for semi-final places will be determined in the last league fixture of the season.
“I think this year’s competition will be closely contested. Things can change very quickly from week to week. It will come down to the wire in the last weekend before the semis. I think the clash against the Bulls at Newlands will be an epic battle,” said Burger.
Cape Town - After the Stormers superb 49-15 victory over the Chiefs in Hamilton last week, Stormers coach Allister Coetzee believes the big challenge for his team is to repeat that performance against the Reds in Brisbane on Friday.
The Stormers have already proven to be the best defensive team in this year’s competition. Against the Chiefs they managed to get the balance right between defence and attack.
The Cape Franchise produced their best performance of the season against the Chiefs and the challenge will be to maintain the same levels of intensity against the Reds.
But it is not going to be an easy task. The Reds showed last Saturday what they are capable of when they beat defending Super 14 champions, the Bulls by 19-12 in Brisbane.
“To get the balance right between defence and attack is something that we’ve been striving for the whole season. The guys are currently showing great accuracy and composure on attack. Against the Chiefs the teamwork was superb. The challenge will now be to keep the guys fresh so that they can tackle the Reds with the same intensity on Friday,” said Coetzee from Brisbane on Sunday.
The Cape Franchise showed against the Blues and the Chiefs that they have the physical presence to strangle Ewen McKenzie’s team in the engine room.
Coetzee is confident his team has the right personnel and tactical acumen to beat the Reds on their home turf.
“Against the Blues and the Chiefs the Stormers forwards played magnificently. They laid the foundation by providing quality front foot ball in the scrums and line outs. Besides the quality play of the forwards in the set phases, their support play in the tight loose was outstanding. They could literally be covered with a blanket. It is however very important to come up with a few adjustments against the Reds,” explained Coetzee.
The Brisbane outfit has been impressive so far this season and the Stormers can expect a tough battle on Friday. They have a dangerous half back pair who will have to be neutralized if the Stormers hope to beat them in Brisbane.
“Will Genia and Quade Cooper have set the game alight this season. All the Reds attacks are based around them. They will have to be watched closely,” warned Coetzee.
After the match against the Reds, the Stormers have tough assignments in South Africa. They host current log leaders and multiple Super 14 title winners, the Crusaders, travel to Durban to tackle the Sharks, before returning home to lock horns with the Bulls in Cape Town. This game is already sold out.
Stormers captain Schalk Burger believes this year’s battle for semi-final places will be determined in the last league fixture of the season.
“I think this year’s competition will be closely contested. Things can change very quickly from week to week. It will come down to the wire in the last weekend before the semis. I think the clash against the Bulls at Newlands will be an epic battle,” said Burger.
