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Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town - The Stormers are clearly already thinking ahead to next week’s titanic Super Rugby meeting with defending champions the Bulls at Newlands.
Hard-pressed senior lock Andries Bekker has been curtailed, in a rare step, to bench duty for the franchise as they contemplate the prior hurdle of Australian strugglers the Rebels in Melbourne on Friday.
Coach Allister Coetzee is always keen to drum in a one-week-at-a-time philosophy, but it seems pretty apparent that the Bekker move announced on Wednesday - seasoned Anton van Zyl comes into the second row to partner rookie hard man Rynhardt Elstadt - is partly with the challenge of the resurgent, playoffs-seeking Bulls in mind.
It is an unenviable date for the Stormers, considering that it is not exactly the dream fixture for them coming immediately after a four-match overseas tour and with their bye weekends having long dried up.
So some allowance had to be made for preservation of prime resources for the doubtless brutal derby: Duane Vermeulen got some semblance of rest last week when he, too, started from the bench against the Brumbies, and now Bekker has the same treatment in Melbourne.
There were signs anyway in Canberra last week that the big No 5 was taking some strain from repetitive starts, as he went down with apparent back spasms at the end of the match, although they were not deemed overly serious by the team management.
A fresh Bekker at his post will be vital if the Stormers, who have a great derby record against their two fiercest South African foes this season, are to repeat their Loftus victory against Victor Matfield and company.
Of course the bench move this week would have been made with some reluctance, because Bekker is basically “two thirds” of the Stormers’ lineout strategy, and a factor not only on their throw-in but also the opposition’s.
But he needed a spot of rotation at some stage, and Van Zyl is no slouch in the department against a Rebels side who may well be strongly competitive at scrum-time but arguably not quite so proficient at the lineout.
It must have been just as tempting to give flank Francois Louw a break, but he keeps his starting berth against the Rebels alongside the old firm of captain Schalk Burger and Vermeulen, with Nick Koster going back to the substitutes.
In other reasonably expected steps, Jean de Villiers returns as Jaque Fourie’s midfield partner, with Juan de Jongh back among the reserves, and Tiaan Liebenberg’s bulk is preferred to Deon Fourie’s mobility at hooker.
Indeed, with the Bulls’ pack showing fresh menace in recent weeks, Liebenberg getting an extended run this Friday could also be a precursor to his key involvement in the “north v south” encounter at Newlands where the “full house” sign is anticipated, regardless of what happens to either side this weekend ...
Teams:
Melbourne Rebels:
TBA
Stormers:
15. Conrad Jantjes, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Jean de Villiers, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Kurt Coleman, 9. Ricky Januarie, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Francois Louw, 6. Schalk Burger (captain), 5. Anton van Zyl, 4. Rynhardt Elstadt, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Wicus Blaauw
Substitutes: 16. Deon Fourie, 17. Frans Malherbe, 18. Andries Bekker, 19. Nick Koster, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Earl Rose, 22. Juan de Jongh
Cape Town - The Stormers are clearly already thinking ahead to next week’s titanic Super Rugby meeting with defending champions the Bulls at Newlands.
Hard-pressed senior lock Andries Bekker has been curtailed, in a rare step, to bench duty for the franchise as they contemplate the prior hurdle of Australian strugglers the Rebels in Melbourne on Friday.
Coach Allister Coetzee is always keen to drum in a one-week-at-a-time philosophy, but it seems pretty apparent that the Bekker move announced on Wednesday - seasoned Anton van Zyl comes into the second row to partner rookie hard man Rynhardt Elstadt - is partly with the challenge of the resurgent, playoffs-seeking Bulls in mind.
It is an unenviable date for the Stormers, considering that it is not exactly the dream fixture for them coming immediately after a four-match overseas tour and with their bye weekends having long dried up.
So some allowance had to be made for preservation of prime resources for the doubtless brutal derby: Duane Vermeulen got some semblance of rest last week when he, too, started from the bench against the Brumbies, and now Bekker has the same treatment in Melbourne.
There were signs anyway in Canberra last week that the big No 5 was taking some strain from repetitive starts, as he went down with apparent back spasms at the end of the match, although they were not deemed overly serious by the team management.
A fresh Bekker at his post will be vital if the Stormers, who have a great derby record against their two fiercest South African foes this season, are to repeat their Loftus victory against Victor Matfield and company.
Of course the bench move this week would have been made with some reluctance, because Bekker is basically “two thirds” of the Stormers’ lineout strategy, and a factor not only on their throw-in but also the opposition’s.
But he needed a spot of rotation at some stage, and Van Zyl is no slouch in the department against a Rebels side who may well be strongly competitive at scrum-time but arguably not quite so proficient at the lineout.
It must have been just as tempting to give flank Francois Louw a break, but he keeps his starting berth against the Rebels alongside the old firm of captain Schalk Burger and Vermeulen, with Nick Koster going back to the substitutes.
In other reasonably expected steps, Jean de Villiers returns as Jaque Fourie’s midfield partner, with Juan de Jongh back among the reserves, and Tiaan Liebenberg’s bulk is preferred to Deon Fourie’s mobility at hooker.
Indeed, with the Bulls’ pack showing fresh menace in recent weeks, Liebenberg getting an extended run this Friday could also be a precursor to his key involvement in the “north v south” encounter at Newlands where the “full house” sign is anticipated, regardless of what happens to either side this weekend ...
Teams:
Melbourne Rebels:
TBA
Stormers:
15. Conrad Jantjes, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Jean de Villiers, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Kurt Coleman, 9. Ricky Januarie, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Francois Louw, 6. Schalk Burger (captain), 5. Anton van Zyl, 4. Rynhardt Elstadt, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Wicus Blaauw
Substitutes: 16. Deon Fourie, 17. Frans Malherbe, 18. Andries Bekker, 19. Nick Koster, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Earl Rose, 22. Juan de Jongh
