Following his side’s final game in Super Rugby this season, which saw the Stormers lose 34-10 to the Sharks, coach Allister Coetzee admits it has been a tough campaign.

Still, despite a disappointing season that saw the Stormers finish 11th on the combined log, Coetzee says he has learned a lot and wishes his side didn’t suffer as many injury blows.

“Every season you learn a few things and it is just tough not to be in the play-offs. For us as the Stormers it is not good enough,” said Coetzee.

“I wish I could have had a say in the amount of injuries we had, but unfortunately that was out of my control.

“The injuries forced my hand to select young players who came through nicely and stuck there hands up to grow the depth in the province as well. The fact that we turned things around (in the second half of the campaign) shows the character of the side, it shows the leadership that is here.

“If I look back, I look at that Crusaders game which could have turned our season around if we had won that one. For any coach you have got to look at the volume that you expose your players to, and try and curb that because volume is definitely one of the big things that leads to injuries.

“I have done my best to rest and manage players like Duane Vermeulen and Jean de Villiers. it is not just about how much they play but also during the week mamanging the players properly.

‘Once you build momentum in a competition, you play your best players. It is proven that if you play with the same players 75 per centof the time you will get the right result.

“Look at the Waratahs and see how many times they have rotated this year, they are log-leaders and they have played with a similar side throughout the competition.”