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Cape Town - The Stormers’ first defeat of the season is unlikely to prompt coach Allister Coetzee into making sweeping changes to his side for Saturday’s Super Rugby match against the Lions.
Jean de Villiers failed a fitness test on Monday and is therefore again unavailable, while Bryan Habana emerged from Saturday’s 6-19 defeat to the Reds with stiffness in a shoulder.
Coetzee does not believe that Habana’s injury will prevent him from taking his place against the Lions.
"If the weekend’s defeat had followed on a number of changes, we would probably have been criticised for changing a winning combination," said Coetzee.
"I actually believe a player gets better the more he plays. It’s not playing that leads to fatigue, but rather everything in the build-up to the match. We suffered almost no injuries in Saturday’s game. The longer you keep your combination's going, the better."
Coetzee will therefore mainly rely on the same troops, but wants better discipline, execution and attitude from his team to enable them to get back on the winning track before their second bye.
While the Reds played a better tactical game than the Stormers, the Cape side was also the architect of its own demise through yellow cards for Duane Vermeulen and Deon Fourie.
Coetzee also wants his team to pitch up for games with the attitude that they are playing test rugby and to not take anything for granted.
"This is close to test rugby because you are up against top players. The Reds had the right attitude and intensity. They knew exactly what their plan was and took the game to us. I don’t think we reacted well," said Coetzee.
The Stormers have not lost to a side representing the Lions in Super Rugby since 2001. That is when the Lions were still part of the Cats - a combination between the Lions and the Cheetahs.
However, Western Province’s last five visits to Johannesburg since 2006 yielded losses in the Currie Cup.
The Stormers will therefore not make the mistake of underestimating John Mitchell’s Lions.
Cape Town - The Stormers’ first defeat of the season is unlikely to prompt coach Allister Coetzee into making sweeping changes to his side for Saturday’s Super Rugby match against the Lions.
Jean de Villiers failed a fitness test on Monday and is therefore again unavailable, while Bryan Habana emerged from Saturday’s 6-19 defeat to the Reds with stiffness in a shoulder.
Coetzee does not believe that Habana’s injury will prevent him from taking his place against the Lions.
"If the weekend’s defeat had followed on a number of changes, we would probably have been criticised for changing a winning combination," said Coetzee.
"I actually believe a player gets better the more he plays. It’s not playing that leads to fatigue, but rather everything in the build-up to the match. We suffered almost no injuries in Saturday’s game. The longer you keep your combination's going, the better."
Coetzee will therefore mainly rely on the same troops, but wants better discipline, execution and attitude from his team to enable them to get back on the winning track before their second bye.
While the Reds played a better tactical game than the Stormers, the Cape side was also the architect of its own demise through yellow cards for Duane Vermeulen and Deon Fourie.
Coetzee also wants his team to pitch up for games with the attitude that they are playing test rugby and to not take anything for granted.
"This is close to test rugby because you are up against top players. The Reds had the right attitude and intensity. They knew exactly what their plan was and took the game to us. I don’t think we reacted well," said Coetzee.
The Stormers have not lost to a side representing the Lions in Super Rugby since 2001. That is when the Lions were still part of the Cats - a combination between the Lions and the Cheetahs.
However, Western Province’s last five visits to Johannesburg since 2006 yielded losses in the Currie Cup.
The Stormers will therefore not make the mistake of underestimating John Mitchell’s Lions.
