The Stormers will come out full throttle and leave the Sharks in their dust when the coastal rivals battle it out again in Durban on Saturday at 5.05pm.
In a highly anticipated United Rugby Championship rematch, Stormers coach John Dobson has laid out the battle plan for his manne after lessons learned from their last clash with the Sharks, a 16-15 win innie Kaap on December 30.
He emphasises the need for improved physicality and quick ball, as the Kapenaars look to march on up the URC log from seventh spot.
Dobson says: “Our last game against the Sharks … physically we were poor. They dented us well with their forwards’ carries [and] our physicality wasn’t good enough.
“We need to generate faster ball, so we’ve got plans around that… where we carry, how to generate faster ball, that’s important for us. And there’s been some work around our kicking game.
“So, we’ve got to step up our physicality this week. We want to generate faster ball but we just got to make sure that with the contestable game we protect our carries better.”
Ben Loader feels right at home in the DHL Stormers backline as the Englishman embraces new challenges and exciting opportunities in the upcoming @Vodacom #URC derbies. #iamastormer #dhldelivers https://t.co/WlJPrQFxBe
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) February 15, 2024
Sharks boss John Plumtree, meanwhile, acknowledges the Stormers’ formidable defence and dynamic players, adding: “They bring a lot of heat in terms of their line speed [on defence], you got to have a good strategy on how you’re going to play them.
“And when they have possession they’ve got a lot of dynamic players, so defensively we’ve got to be really good on the day.”
One of those danger men is English winger Ben Loader, who’s thriving in the Stormers’ style of play, and can’t wait for his first duel in The Shark Tank.
Here is our team for the @Vodacom #URC Origin Round derby in Durban on Saturday.
📢 Full announcement https://t.co/sc6GiAVlVx#SHAvSTO #iamastormer #dhldelivers #FromGrassRootsToGreatness pic.twitter.com/E62PBCPtWt
He tells the team’s official website: “Getting to play the Sharks in Durban, I’m super excited. We feel like we’re not yet performing at full capacity, but still winning games, so we’re really trying to hone in on what we can improve and what’s worked well for us so far.”
devin.hermanus@inl.co.za
Daily Voice