Sanjay's Rugby World

The Stormers

Is this finally the year for the Stormers? Every year I say this will be it, and last year I even predicted they’d win it. Doh!

They seem to have a losing culture and consistently lose easy home games, and win the difficult ones.

However I truly believe something special is brewing in the Western Cape, and their position as a powerhouse of South African rugby will once again be re-established. The appointment of Alistair Coetzee as coach is a good move, and Rassie Erasmus can add value without the added pressure of coaching.

The arrival of match-winners Bryan Habana and Jaque Fourie will have a massive influence in turning this side into championship material and there are a host of youngsters coming through the ranks that bodes well for the Stormers.

With a fanatical fan base that always provide strong support, the Stormers simply have to turn Newlands into a fortress where they rarely lose. If they can can do that they’ll surely pick up a few victories on the road and be looking at a semi-final spot.

As with most sides, a good start is imperative to ensuring the right state of mind.

Their biggest hurdle could come when Willem de Waal is fit again. He is not the right player for the Stormers, and could prove to be a bigger hindrance than help. Peter Grant at flyhalf is steady, but I’d like the Stormers to be brave and go with Lionel Cronje. Big, strong and a great boot combined with good running skills could see the emergence of a star flyhalf.

The loss of Jean de Villiers is offset by the potential in his replacement Juan de Jongh. Fellow centre Morgan Newman also waits in the wings and is highly rated.

The front row looks solid, and for once the forward pack looks formidable, which should allow the large number of talented backline players to shine.

It’s a squad with plenty of talent, depth and the opportunity to make their mark. this year there can be no excuses and if they come up short, heads must roll.

Watch out for: Wicus Blaauw at prop, Schalk Burger who leads the side for the first time and who’ll be keen to restablish himself as a world-class player, Lionel Cronje if he plays as flyhalf, the centre pairing of Juan de Jongh and Jaque Fourie, and Bryan Habana. This could be the side to put him into space consistently and if that happens, he’ll score many tries!

Prediction: Semi-finalists

The Stormers confidently demolished a second string Force side 54-12 at Newlands.

Whilst most of the Wallabies were rested by Force coach John Mitchell, the Stormers showed the ruthless demolition that is required by sides who aspire to be championship material.

It represented a significant step-up from from the second string Stormers side that only beat UCT 21-3 last week.

After 12 minutes the Stormers who started strongly had raced to a 21-0 lead.

The Stormers scored 6 tries in the first half and 7 tries in the match in total.

There were problems with the scrum and at the breakdown, but the Stormers backs looked particularly sharp. Straight running and the ability to create space for their teammates was a highlight. The influence of Juan de Jongh, Jaque Fourie and Bryan Habana was especially evident.

After the match Alistair Coetzee said, “I’m unhappy with our discipline at the breakdown. It’s still at that stage of the season where referees are basically coaching players at the breakdown during the matches, and we got pinned quite a few times for not rolling away or holding on after the ref had called ruck. It is something we need to analyse and work on in the coming week.”

“I’m not too worried about the scrum. These are the pillars of the game we wanted to better this season. We’ve just got to make sure we don’t look for the short cut. We know what we wanted to achieve in this game and we got what we wanted” said Coetzee.

The injury to Willem de Waal may be a blessing in disguise. I favour Peter Grant at flyhalf, he has the ability to set the backline away and then de Jongh and Fourie can create space for the outside backs. I am sure Habana in particular will benefit and score many tries this year.

If de Waal is selected, he’ll bring a steadier kicking game, but I doubt the Stormers backs will score many tries, and the mindset of the Stormers may turn more and more defensive. I’d rather see them back their ability and score tries.

Habana set to be a crowd favourite

The crowd of 18 000 cheered Bryan Habana from his first touch, and he looks set to become a crowd favourite on his new home ground of Newlands.

Earlier this week Habana said “No matter how big the stage is that you have played on, you do obviously feel nervous when you are starting out with a new team. I obviously also want to make as big an impression as I can for my new franchise, and it will be crucial to win our opening Super 14 match.”

“I can’t believe how welcome everyone makes me feel. Everywhere I go people are going out of their way to welcome me to the Cape. It is really humbling. Of course in Pretoria you get the true blue Bulls fan, and they are special people, but it is astounding how in Cape Town you can be 600 metres away and people will shout out to you and let everyone in the shopping centre know you are there. This is fanatical rugby country” said Habana.

Habana knows what a winning culture is like, and it appears he wants to recreate the success he had at the Bulls down in the Cape.

“I had an honest chat with Rassie Erasmus when I was being recruited by the Stormers. It took me about 10 days to make up my mind, and one of the things I wanted to make sure of was that I was moving to a place where a winning culture could be created. I was impressed with Rassie’s plans and his determination to get the Stormers and Western Province to succeed. I felt I wanted to go somewhere I could make a difference, but I would never have moved down if I could not see the potential for the Stormers to be a winning franchise” said Habana

“The work ethic here has been amazing. To see the work the guys are putting in, and to be part of it, has been really encouraging. Work ethic is a big thing at the Bulls, and it was one of the reasons I might initially have been sceptical about moving down, but thankfully my fears have been completely allayed” continued Habana.

The Stormers have started well and are working hard. They’ll welcome back captain Schalk Burger soon, and appear set for a big Super 14 season!

The Stormers aim to produce their best performance in their Super rugby history.

For a franchise that often has bucketloads of talent, they’ve failed to deliver on most occasions. Other than semi-final appearances in 1999 and 2004, they’ve often disappointed more than dazzled.

However lock Anton van Zyl spoke of the desire to perform well this year. “The high expectations of supporters are justified. The team started showing promise from the end of last year’s Super 14 through the Currie Cup, and there are also new acquisitions. We’re working hard at becoming the complete package, not as individuals, but as a team. As a team we’d like to come up with the best Stormers performance ever, but on a more practical level and in terms of vision, we’d just like to improve our performance every week. We’d like to perform better as a team than any Stormers team before us” said van Zyl.

“There’s a huge emphasis on harmony in the team context to ensure that we’re all pulling in the same direction. Last week during our training camp, for example, we spent some time away from rugby to ensure that we get to know one another. It’s important that everybody pulls together in tough times” continued van Zyl.

Every year I pick the Stormers to do well, and almost every year I tear my hair out to say I’ll never make that mistake again! This could be the year however (like every other year!). There is a lot of talent, good depth, but perhaps the injection of Bryan Habana and Jaque Fourie, 2 experienced players, could be the trump card.

I’d like to see them throw caution to the wind, play attacking rugby and utilise their talent. Too often I think they fear losing more than striving to win. I am sure if they start well they’ll have a good year.

Their first performance wasn’t anything spectacular however.

Whilst it was essentially a second string side that play the University of Cape Town (UCT) at Riebeek West, they’d have expected more than a 21-3 win.

Tries were scored by wing JJ Engelbrecht, lock Rynhardt Elstadt, and replacement back Jurgen Visser.

To win the Super 14 you need great depth, players who can step into your starting lineup or reserves and ensure a side doesn’t lose any value. It’s important that the Stormers develop depth to avoid a repeat of last season where injuries were plentiful.

I still think the Stormers will have a good season, but there’s been nothing special served up yet. They’ll need to hit the ground running ahead of their first clash against the Lions in Johannesburg on February 13!

Rassie Erasmus and Allister Coetzee have had their contracts with Western Province rugby extended until 2012.

It shows confidence and satisfaction in the performance of what has been an underperforming coaching team by Managing director of WP Rugby Ltd, Rob Wagner and his board. They obviously believe that although the results have not been forthcoming, Western Cape rugby is moving in the right direction.

The 2009 Currie Cup was a step in the right direction, but after the 2009 Super 14, I’m not sure I’d have given them a 2 year extension so hastily.

Wagner appears confident ahead of the 2010 Super 14 and said “There are three reasons why I’m confident about the new season. The first is the rugby institute that has been established at Stellenbosch, the second is the High Performance Centre in Bellville, and the third is team management and players. We are now entering the third year with this management. The extension of their contracts will help establish confidence among the players.”

I am glad Coetzee’s value as a coach has been highlighted as he did a great job with the Western Province Currie Cup side in 2009, and finally stepped out of the label as a token assistant coach. His ability to get the best out of players has been highlighted as a key strength.

Rassie Erasmus meanwhile will take on a role similar to a director of rugby as senior professional coach. He will keep an eye on the institute and high performance centre whilst still performing a hands on coaching role as needed.

The results in the 2009 Super 14 may have been disastrous, but I’m hoping that the lessons have been learnt. With a centrally-controlled training facility in Bellville, the rugby institute producing talent such as Springbok centre Juan de Jongh and other structures in place to aid in the success of WP rugby, there can be no excuses in 2010.

With a star studded lineup which now includes new Springbok acquisitions Jaque Fourie and Bryan Habana, much is expected of the Stormers. However each year I predict the Stormers look dangerous and will set the competition alight only to see them underpeform dismally. Let’s hope 2010 finally brings some results!