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Cape Town - Stormers coach Allister Coetzee is ruing the fact that he didn't have his full squad available during this year's Super Rugby season.
The Stormers beat the Kings 24-12 in Port Elizabeth over the weekend to record their fourth win on the trot, but failed to make the playoffs with one league match remaining.
While admitting that they let a few games slip, Coetzee said things could have been different had he had his full squad available.
"It was definitely our mission to be in the playoffs, but obviously it didn't pan out like that. It was down to a number of issues. We had few missed opportunities this season and our performance wasn't good enough. That's why we didn't make the playoffs," Coetzee said in an interview with the Cape Times.
"I never had the strong squad, which was the problem. The names were there, but I never had them. That's the reality. Pat (Cilliers) and Rynhardt (Elstadt) came back now, but since five or six weeks ago, I didn't have them.
"Names like Frans Malherbe, Pat Cilliers, Tiaan Liebenberg, Andries Bekker and a Rynhardt, Duane (Vermeulen), Schalk (Burger), Michael Rhodes, Peter Grant, Jean (de Villiers) being out, Jaco Taute didn't play much.
"So, it's been quite a tough challenge, having to juggle with the injuries. We couldn't really build momentum. But we still had some lost opportunities, which is the frustration - that we let ourselves down. Certain areas of the game at different stages of the competition. But we seemed to have stepped up and got it right towards the latter part now.
"Look, let me also be honest as well sin saying that there were calls that didn't go our way in certain games, which could've changed the whole thing," continued Coetzee.
The Stormers will conclude their Super Rugby season with a game against the Bulls at Newlands on Saturday. Kick-off is at 19:10.
The Stormers beat the Kings 24-12 in Port Elizabeth over the weekend to record their fourth win on the trot, but failed to make the playoffs with one league match remaining.
While admitting that they let a few games slip, Coetzee said things could have been different had he had his full squad available.
"It was definitely our mission to be in the playoffs, but obviously it didn't pan out like that. It was down to a number of issues. We had few missed opportunities this season and our performance wasn't good enough. That's why we didn't make the playoffs," Coetzee said in an interview with the Cape Times.
"I never had the strong squad, which was the problem. The names were there, but I never had them. That's the reality. Pat (Cilliers) and Rynhardt (Elstadt) came back now, but since five or six weeks ago, I didn't have them.
"Names like Frans Malherbe, Pat Cilliers, Tiaan Liebenberg, Andries Bekker and a Rynhardt, Duane (Vermeulen), Schalk (Burger), Michael Rhodes, Peter Grant, Jean (de Villiers) being out, Jaco Taute didn't play much.
"So, it's been quite a tough challenge, having to juggle with the injuries. We couldn't really build momentum. But we still had some lost opportunities, which is the frustration - that we let ourselves down. Certain areas of the game at different stages of the competition. But we seemed to have stepped up and got it right towards the latter part now.
"Look, let me also be honest as well sin saying that there were calls that didn't go our way in certain games, which could've changed the whole thing," continued Coetzee.
The Stormers will conclude their Super Rugby season with a game against the Bulls at Newlands on Saturday. Kick-off is at 19:10.
