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Cape Town - Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has prepared his side for what he believes will be a Test match against the Brumbies at Newlands on Saturday.
The sides met last month at the same venue in a league outing. The Stormers won that slobber-knocker by the slimmest of margins (25-24), but the lesson to take into Saturday's playoff is perhaps that a clash of the most physical proportions awaits.
The niggle on and off the ball on May 9 saw the Brumbies concede 19 penalties on the day, and Coetzee knows how important taking opportunities and putting points on the board will be as his side look to secure their place in a semi-final against the Waratahs in Sydney.
"It’s about taking your opportunities this weekend, and to kick your three points is going to be vital. You’ve got to take all the points coming your way," Coetzee said at Thursday's team announcement.
"We’ve got to make sure that our discipline is impeccable like it has been all season, and that we put some scoreboard pressure when we get penalties.
"We’ve got one of the best goal kickers in this comp (Demetri Catrakilis) in our side and I’m really thankful for that ... and we’ve got to capitalise on that."
The Stormers boss, in his last season at the franchise, said that his side would have to be at their best in all departments against the Brumbies.
"It is (a Test match). It’s absolutely going to be. It’s going to be physical and it’s called a Test match because you’re tested in all departments," he said.
"It’s going to be a test at scrum time, it’s going to be a test at lineout time, a test at the breakdown.
"Our composure, our patience … everything will be tested. Our leadership … and I think the big thing is that it’s not about the technical plan or the tactical plan, it’s got to come from within."
Coetzee said that his side had spent a lot of time working on their set piece over the last fortnight.
"Set pieces will always be a massive battle when it comes to the Brumbies. They’re a good side, well coached, good lineout, good scrum so we’ve got to be strong in all departments across the park," he said.
"While we were preparing for the Sharks the other players were not bathing on Clifton or having a holiday … they were working on the field. It helped a hell of a lot and we’ve put an emphasis on making sure our lineouts are functioning well.
"We worked on stopping the mauls and making sure that our maul defence is better than it has been in the last couple of games. And yes, definitely, it was a good week of preparation last week for the team that will be in action this week."
Satrurday's match kicks off at 17:05.
Teams:
Stormers
15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Dillyn Leyds, 13 Juan de Jongh (captain), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Manuel Carizza, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Substitutes: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 Michael Rhodes, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Kurt Coleman, 23 Jaco Taute
Brumbies
15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Robbie Coleman, 11 Joe Tomane, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Nic White, 8 Ita Vaea, 7 David Pocock, 6 Scott Fardy, 5 Blake Enever, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore (captain), 1 Scott Sio
Substitutes (from): 16 Josh Mann-Rea, 17 Allan Alaalatoa, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Jordan Smiler, 20 Jarrad Butler, 21 Michael Dowsett, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 James Dargaville, 24 Les Makin, 25 Nigel Ah Wong
