Stormers scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies says coach John Dobson has warned them that there’s no Monday after Saturday’s United Rugby Championship final against Munster at Cape Town Stadium.
That means, there is no second chance in the final and they have to get things right the first time around as they look to successfully defend the URC crown they won by beating the Bulls 18-13 in the decider at the same venue last season.
Asked what this victory will mean to the team and the Springbok World Cup winner, Jantjies says: “It is a final, like Dobbo [coach John Dobson] always says - there’s no Monday for us.
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“We’ve said it in training also, so we can’t come back and say we should have done this or this, this is it. That’s why it’s called a final - it’s a big one, we have one chance and the focus is to get it right.”
Munster visited Cape Town last month and beat the Stormers 26-24.
Of what they learned from that match, Jantjies, 27, says: “I can’t give out too much - the last time out we had a tough game against them. They are probably the only team we struggle against and we’ve done our analysis and I think the focus is more on what we can correct from our learnings from the last time we played them.
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“Obviously it’s a final so it’s a big occasion and hopefully we can rectify things we identified as being a problem. Hopefully we can come out this weekend firing.”
Up against Ireland veteran Conor Murray, Jantjies says of their duel: “It’s exciting, he is one of the players I have a lot of respect for.
“He played over 100 Tests for his country, but at the end of the day it’s not a personal battle.
“It’s a team sport and all I can do is make sure that I understand what we are trying to do and make sure I know the detail and then just execute on the day.”
The Stormers and Munster kick off at a sold-out Cape Town Stadium at 6.30pm on Saturday.