The Stormers look set to bolster their pack for the crunch derby match against the Cheetahs at Newlands this weekend.
The Bloemfontein side pose a formidable threat up-front and the indications are that Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus will bring back former Free Stater Tiaan Liebenberg at hooker in place of the more mobile Schalk Brits. Lock Adriaan Fondse is likely to come back into contention as well, after missing the good victory over the Force in Perth.
Wing Tonderai Chavanga took a knock at training, but should be fit to start, although the news is less good for replacement scrumhalf Conrad Hoffman, who is out. Fortunately, Springbok Bolla Conradie is fit to take Hoffman’s place on the bench. The backline will in all likelihood be unchanged, with Tony Brown again on the bench as Peter Grant continues his run at flyhalf.
The Stormers are now well placed to challenge for a semi-final spot, having amassed an unprecedented 16 log pints on their 4-match tour overseas. They will need to overturn their home form, though, to take advantage of a string of matches at Newlands that are all must-wins. The Stormers have, incredibly, lost more matches at Newlands than they have won over the lifetime of Super Rugby, making their work all the more daunting.
The Cheetahs, meanwhile, have reacted to yet further rumours of a mass player exodus at the end of their campaign. Union President Harold Verster has assured fans the union will do whatever it can to maintain its player base, although he concedes that it’s unlikely that CJ van der Linde will stick around. The burly prop is highly in demand at the Sharks (who clearly want to have all three Bok tightheads on their books) and is understood to be looking at a number of good offers from abroad as well.
Other players looking certain to leave at this stage are locks Rory Duncan and Darron Nell. To add a little extra spice to the derby, former Cheetahs coach Erasmus is said to be hot on the heels of a number of the Cheetahs’ star forwards.
Tweet
why would the sharks want to buy cj? i don’t get it, makes me think that either bj or jannie might be leaving after this season. would make no sense to buy cj unless that were the case. i mean 3 tightheads along with pat cilliers coming through?
should be looking for some locks and outside backs instead if you ask me.
Ja… we could use Duncan, that’s for sure. I’m not really a huge Darron Nell fan, though.
Good thing that this comes after the Cheetahs won their game against the Reds and the Stormers won their bye against the Saders…
This should be interesting…but the home team should be looking for a bonus point here.
This will be huge one for the Stormers. They need to take it game by game and forget about all this semi stories. leave that to the press and Shark supporters. 😉
Rassie wont underestimate the BlikOre and we just have to pack Newlands on saturday.
derbies tend to upset the odds, hey… Cheetahs forwards could give the Province pack nightmares all day… then again, if they spill ball and let Tondi and co run at them, with their dodgy defensive record, the Stormers could score 50.
CJ would not be a bad bet at loosehead prop for the Stormers and WP.
I don’t rate our current loosehead props at all.
leave that to the press and Shark supporters.
08.04.08 10:26:46 – PaarlBok
Meaning…leave that to people who are in the top 2. 😉
PB is just being a typical Province supporter 😉 They win one or two games, then suddenly all the arrogance comes right back and we must just forget that they’ve been utter shite for the past 5 seasons.
If this game is a close affair like the Sharks vs Lions game then i think we are in for a tough time.
I am sure we can take them upfront. I hope we blow them away in the first half with some good running rugby.
GO STORMERS!!!
Eish Rob.
Not all WP supporters are like that… 😥
Come on Rob that was a bit rough on me. I am not your Mountain goat Keo type. 😯
BlackShark gave me the right response and I said game by game.
Sorry, PB… still stung about your comment yesterday about the Sharks having kak structures, which I think is utter bollocks. We got our house in order years ago with the establishment of the Academy, getting Straueli in to get procurement sorted out, etc, etc. We have never had the luxury of producing talent the way WP does, but we do pretty well with what we have and the young talent we can procure from other provinces.
At least we don’t lose the cream of our youngsters to other unions.
The fact that the Cheetahs now have an Academy also does nothing to undermine the Sharks. There is plenty of talent at age group level in SA and it doesn’t all come from the Free State. Their problem is money, anyway, so merely having an Academy of sorts doesn’t mean they’re suddenly going to be as competitive in the market as the really big teams are.
Doesnt mean to upset you there. 🙄 I love watching schoolboy, U21s and Vodacom rugby and keep my ears/eyes close them and is sorry if I have the wrong opinion.
In my opinion academies wont be enough , now that every province have their own. The Sharks and Bulls had a kick start but getting use to see the likes of WP and OVS hauls you in.
Look I like every SA province and dont have oogklappe when it comes to local talent but surely we as Boland and WP supporters waited only for our top lot to join the table.
It make me sick to see the likes of Russel, Cobus Visagie and specially de Kock playing like kings for Sarries in stead of the Stormers.
I actually dont mind Sharks supporters.
As long as they make finals and don’t win any, i am happy.
PB loves watching schoolboys!!! 🙄
hehehe
The world of modern sports PB…but you’ll see a lot of quality players (black and white) coming from Sharksworld in the next couple of years…hope that will make you feel better…
Sharks had a bit of a cleanout 18 months ago, where a lot of “fringe players” that were enjoying fat salary cheques were shown the door (I can only wonder why Kees Lensing wasn’t one of them). Since those guys left, the Wildebeest just haven’t been competitive. But it’s the price you pay, I think.
Rob now compare that with WP. A lot of talented youngsters now knocking on the CC door. Currently WP have the best structures and will have to many players on their books. There is always a stream of young talent from this part and thats the good work Nick Mallet leave WP. That academy to take them to professional players he put up a year ago.
Robd
You guys should never have let Solly T go… 🙄
WP have always had too many players. That’s why you have talented WP schoolboys turning out for other provinces all over the country. It’s what you do with that youth that defines the success of the union and, quite frankly, WP have done an appalling job of that. The “structures” at senior level are still a mess… the only difference is that you now have a decent coach to paper over some of the cracks. The same bunch of inept administrators continue to run the show.
wes – we’ll get him back, mark my words 😉 Him and his maatjie Jaco Gouws, who I understand is now playing club rugby somewhere in the Cape.
Solly??? 😕
The man who gets paid a fat salary for NOT pitching for practise ?? Good riddance!! 😀
Rob I wont disagree on the inept administrators, but you get those everywhere. Don tell me the Sharks don have them. 🙄
WP’s academy is now in its second year running, Zondagh has reopen his on Riebeek Wes, that gives you 75 players from schoolboy to youth teams level to pick from. We dont had this in the past and you know the results in 2007 compare to the past. WP lost them in the past but will kep the best lot and the same will happen in Cheetah land.
Once Newlands get packed like this year due to a good coach they will have more money to keep the good ones.
08.04.08 11:21:53 – wpw
Why?
Aah, i see my visvang powers hasn’t left me…
well, good on them, PB. It only took them 5 years to catch up to what teh Sharks and the Bulls have been doing.
I still maintain that the Sharks are the only union that actually has a plan in place to bring those youngsters through the ranks into the senior team, though. It doesn’t help the Bulls having so many youngsters if none of them ever get into the team.
Should be a great battle between the lossies
Ja those lossies can really brawl lekker, esp on a Saturday night when they dronk!
Sauce
You mean ‘loosies’
Nah. He mean the “lossies”!
Still on derbies…
English derby in the Champions league tonight…
Go LIVERPOOL – YNWA!!!!
Ok…now that I’ve got that out of my chest…I feel so much better
blackshark
Please drop me a mail… i never knew you are a fellow Liverpool supporter!!!
Come on you MIGHTY Reds!!!
wesley at redwooddesign dot co dot za
Will do wes…
Oh gawd, another pool supporter,this is getting out of hand now.
And you are?
Ajax Cape Town
Arsenal vs Liverpool
Two kak teams playing each other …. AGAIN.
Who do you support Dawn???
Let me guess: Wigan?
Leeds Utd
bwahahahaha
Arsenal actually.
But I know when my team is kuk.
They are not that bad Dawn.
They might even beat us tonight. 🙄
😯 What has Arsenal done?
PJLD – good for you…
May i take this time to sing:
Glory glory Man United , glory glory Man United 😀
What HASN’T Arsenal done …
Arsenal hasn’t won the Champions League yet (European Cup)
Us Gunners are not happy.
Disgruntled we are.
You lot have spoiled the Stormers thread with this poofball posts. 🙄
Only joking, any team that beats Man United I’ll support. 😀
08.04.08 15:24:10 – PaarlBok
Not many choices then 😉
And the lossies are still brawling.