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Cape Town - Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett says the Stormers have the pack of forwards to take them to the Super Rugby title.
Mallett was speaking in the SuperSport studio following the Stormers’ 31-15 win over the Melbourne Rebels at Newlands as the weekend.
“The Stormers have a pack of forwards to win this competition,” said Mallett. “They've got a very good tight five. Their front row is the best in the competition from a scrummaging point of view and they lean very heavily on it to win them penalties. Their lineout was improved and their loose forwards were fabulous. Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Burger and Siya Kolisi were very good today (Saturday).
The Stormers though copped criticism in some quarters for their inability to bag a four-try bonus point, especially after they had scored their third try as early as the 45th minute.
Mallett attributed this to below-par backline play.
“The big question mark I've got about this Stormers side is do they have the backline from structured attack able to breakdown a New Zealand backline? The answer there is probably no, because the Stormers score a number of their tries from broken play, usually off opposition mistakes.
“They don't have the physicality in the backline and they don't have the good running lines or control from 10 to create their own opportunities. But they were certainly deserved winners today and they are also going to be deserved winners of the South African conference.”
