Vodacom Super Rugby

Jean: Stormers must step up

2013-02-27 20:23
Jean de Villiers (Gallo Images)

Cape Town - Stormers captain Jean de Villiers said players should take responsibility for doing what is expected of them if the Cape franchise is to taste success against the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.

The captain was asked to reflect on the composition of the backline which failed to deliver in the opening Super Rugby match against the Bulls in Pretoria last week.

"The players, young and old, are selected because they are good enough to be included in the team," said De Villiers.

"It's simply a question of players taking responsibility for playing the role that has been entrusted to them."

The Capetonians had held out high hopes of Springbok centre Juan de Jongh reinforcing their three-quarter line in Durban.

However, De Jongh has not fully recovered from a hamstring injury.

Stormers coach Allister Coetzee said it did not make sense to risk De Jongh who is clearly not yet fully fit.

"After a 40-minute session Juan was not feeling comfortable yet," Coetzee told the media in Bellville on Wednesday.

"We need to make sure that he's 100 percent fit because there's no point in rushing him back (into action)."

The unavailability of the injured Jaco Taute has opened the way for the in-form Joe Pietersen to claim the No 15 jumper.

The Stormers have persisted with the out-of-form Elton Jantjies at flyhalf while Peter Grant landed a spot on the bench.

"We have still to decide who will do the place-kicking against the Sharks but Jantjies was was kicking very well (at training)," Coetzee said.

"Peter is 100 percent after a season in Japan but the big thing is for him to settle in to the way we will be doing things this week."

In the pack, tightheads Pat Cilliers and Frans Malherbe swop places even though the Sharks have a highly experienced front row.

Coetzee explained that he was counting on the experienced Cilliers to come off the bench later in the match to perform a specific role.

"We've opted to start with Frans this time and he has stood up to some really good props in the past," Coetzee said.

"We'd rather have Pat coming on when we'll really need him in the second half."

Teams:

Sharks:

15. Louis Ludik, 14. JP Pietersen, 13. Paul Jordaan, 12. Francois Steyn (captain), 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10. Patrick Lambie, 9. Cobus Reinach, 8. Ryan Kankowski, 7. Jean Deysel, 6. Marcell Coetzee, 5. Franco van der Merwe, 4. Anton Bresler, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Craig Burden, 1. Tendai Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16. Kyle Cooper, 17. Wiehahn Herbst, 18. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19. Jacques Botes, 20. Charl McLeod, 21. Meyer Bosman, 22. Odwa Ndungane

Stormers:

15. Joe Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Jean de Villiers (captain), 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Elton Jantjies, 9. Nic Groom, 8. Duane Vermeulen (vice-captain), 7. Rynhardt Elstadt, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. Andries Bekker, 4. De Kock Steenkamp, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Deon Fourie, 1. Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16. Martin Bezuidenhout, 17. Pat Cilliers, 18. Don Armand, 19. Nizaam Carr, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Peter Grant, 22. Gerhard van den Heever

Read more on:    stormers  |  super 15  |  jean de villiers  |  cape town  |  rugby
NEXT ON SPORT24X

Stormers dent Reds' hopes

2013-05-25 22:19

 

24.com publishes all comments posted on articles provided that they adhere to our Comments Policy. Should you wish to report a comment for editorial review, please do so by clicking the 'Report Comment' button to the right of each comment.

Comment on this story
96 comments
Add your comment
Comment 0 characters remaining
Live Video Streaming
Video Highlights
Sport Talk

 
 
Sport24 on Twitter

Follow Sport24 news on Twitter

Featured Blog

GEN De La Rey says the Stormers have had a pretty bad run when it comes to refs, assistant refs and TMO calls this season. He says such glaring ref errors have no place in the professional game.

Latest blogs

Twitter Follow Sport24 on Twitter

Newsletters Sign up for Sport24's Morning Glory newsletter

Blogs Yes your opinion counts. Get it out there

WIN Enter and win with Sport24!

Mobile Sport24 on your mobile phone - WAP, alerts, downloads, services

BlackBerry Stay in the loop on your BlackBerry

iPhone Latest Sport24 news on your iPhone

Facebook "Like" Sport24's Facebook page

TV schedule Plan your couch time with our searchable sport TV guide

RSS Feeds Sport news delivered really simply.

 
There are new stories on the homepage. Click here to see them.