The DHL Stormers have wasted no time in adding Eben Etzebeth and Schalk Burger to their match day squad to face the Sharks at Newlands
The DHL Stormers have wasted no time in adding Eben Etzebeth and Schalk Burger to their match day squad to face the Sharks at Newlands. The Stormers match day squad has a few injury enforced changes but luckily for the coaching staff none seem long term (the longest is probably Jurie van Vurren who is out for 4 weeks) and the quality of the replacements are of the highest order. Etzebeth missed the first three games of the season due to a chest injury suffered against the Cheetahs during a preseason game while Burger only just returned from fulfilling his Japanese club commitments.
Scarra Ntubeni returns to the starting hooker jumper after rotating with Bongani Mbonambi last week, Mbonambi has been ruled out of this weeks squad due to shoulder injury picked up in training, Siya Kolisi comes in at number 7 for Michael Rhodes who suffered a hard knock to his knee. Allister Coetzee has yet again managed to name an unchanged backline, something he must be eternally grateful for as his back 3 ,while dangerous runners in open play are still extremely inexperienced at Super Rugby level.
It’s also in the backline where it the Stormers will look to attack the visiting Sharks. Up front the Sharks still look formidable even though they themselves have made some changes, talk has been that having Matt Stevens is an error but he is up against Steven Kitshoff who isn’t the most aggressive of scrummagers himself and should Etzebeth pack down behind Vincent Koch , Stevens may do quite alright. The loose trio of Alberts, Coetzee and Kankowski is one that many international coaches would sell their souls for and the lighter looking Stormers loosies are going to be in for a very long night should they be even the slightest bit off their game.
Gary Gold has named Frans Steyn and JP Pieterson as his midfield combo and while on paper and in a few weeks time they will be a great combo they have no real playing time and will be lacking in synergy whereas Damian de Allende and Juan de Jongh have been steadily building up continuity, the former doing his Springbok stocks absolutely no harm.
The Stormers bench also has a quality look about it, most notable is the number 20 jumper. Schalk Burger will be able to be brought into the fray should the game have loosened up or if it is still a tightly contested affair. Jean Kleyn, Alistair Vermaark and Frans Malherbe all bring the necessary grunt required for a fixture of this nature while Kurt Coleman and Louis Schruder offer the coaches tactical options amongst the backs.
The Stormers team to face the Sharks:
15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Johnny Kotze, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen (c), 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Nizaam Carr, 5 Manuel Carizza, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Subs: 16. Neil Rautenbach, 17 Alistair Vermaak, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 Schalk Burger, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Kurt Coleman, 23 Huw Jones.
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Cape Town is blessed with some true hard men…
@VinChainSaw (Comment 1) : I would have liked Kleyn to start, Carizza is a bit of a softie. That said this situation is quite a weird one for a stormers supporter : Grunt on deck and grunt on the bench.
This will surely be a great match. Hope we have a ref that knows his stuff and lets the game flow.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 1) : Which explains the soar in Viagra sales this past quarter
Going to be a massive game!!! 😀
Shut their forwards down and we win this. Stormers will have to be on their game. If they play like they did against the Lions, the Sharks will punish them.
@Ben (Comment 6) :
But likewise if the Sharks play like theyve been playing all season, it’ll be a cricket score.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 7) : Bit of an overstatement, have you seen cricket scores lately? 😯
@Ben (Comment 8) :
Lol. Fair enough. An England cricket score!!
@VinChainSaw (Comment 9) : That sounds much more reasonable! 😆
@VinChainSaw (Comment 9) : Lulz
@Ben (Comment 6) True, even if they play the way they did against the Blues
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 12) : Yeah, they weren’t great.
I think the sharks are learning. And this week may be the turning point. Stormers didn’t look large and in charge against the Lions last week and we had a considerably better outing against them. So I will not be throwing any negativity towards my boys. Sharks for the win, no doubts! By the way what is our squad looking like? What is the backup for reinach? Will we have Reinaldo and Mtyanda and how about Tera Mtembu? I can’t see us leaving a quick loosie out of the mix.
I am a little worried about JPP at center I must say. I think he would be better utilized at his preferred position, but then who to put next to Frans? Waylon Murray would do the job I think. Leave JP on wing with Mvovo on the other wing this will work out great for Pat’s cross kicks which are getting much better, tempted to say Mvovo at 15 but it seems SP is improving, not by leaps and bounds but still…
@coolfusion (Comment 15) : I would like to see Sithole playing 13 and JPP playing 14.
Frans and JPP gonna get schooled tomorrow.
The midfield is all about knowing what your partner is gonna do.
Actually I suppose its not like we dont know what Steyn will do – crash ball!
@VinChainSaw (Comment 17) : Crash ball is not the way against the Stormers. They are very vulnerable to kicks through the defence
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 18) :
Yeah agreed.
But, that said, ive seen precious little of Natal’s ability to vary their gameplan in recent years.
I reckon it might be a JW overhang. They only know one way.
@VinChainSaw (Comment 19) : We haven’t seen that since we beat you guys in the 2013 CC final.
@Ben (Comment 20) :
Lol. I see what you did there. well played!
@VinChainSaw (Comment 21) : Thank you sir.
Is the Good Doctor still with the team at all now or has he left everything up to GG for now?
@Original Pierre (Comment 23) : I pray he is still with the team.