Despite a thumping win over URC defending champs Leinster, the Stormers want to improve against their bogey team Ospreys.
It definitely wasn’t a perfect performance, but the result was way more than they were expecting, when the Stormers whitewashed Leinster in their United Rugby Championship (URC) opener, and now they want to be even better when they host Ospreys at the Cape Town Stadium on Friday night.
The Stormers’ second half performance against Leinster could be considered close to perfect, after an error strewn first half had them leading 6-0 at the break, before a much tighter and clinical second 40 saw four tries and a further 29 points, as they ran out 35-0 winners.
They now face their bogey team, Ospreys, in their second match of their campaign, and want to see an improvement against a team they haven’t beaten since the 2021-22 season.
Since then they have drawn and lost against them in Wales, while they were stunningly upset 27-21 at home by them in the 2023-24 season.
The Stormers will thus be eager to get a bit of revenge and will not want to slip up against them again, with assistant coach Rito Hlungwani saying that there were things to improve on from the impressive win over the competition defending champions.
“The big thing for this week is improvement. What can we improve? Where can we be better? That is our mindset,” explained Hlungwani.
“There are small things we didn’t do well, and we want to fix those, while also building on what worked last Friday night. Things like our timing in the lineout, and how we link up with the backline. Those aspects usually improve the more you play together. But we know we could’ve been more clinical.”
Ospreys threat
Although Ospreys aren’t considered one of the top teams in the URC, and most South African franchises would consider themselves favourites against them on home soil, they showed they have more than enough skill to mix it up with the big dogs, as they pushed the Bulls hard during a 53-40 loss.
“It’s a team that never goes away. They’re a team we can’t take lightly, they’re going to challenge us, so it’s important for us to really be focused and ready to try and improve on our last performance,” said Hlungwani.
“They’ve got a strong pack, and there is no weak pack in this competition, so we’ll be ready for a tough challenge up front.”
The Stormers will also be boosted by a few players returning from injury, with them available to slot into the side for Friday night’s match if needed.
“Marcel (Theunissen) has a laceration (to the face) but he should be fine as far as I know. Everyone (from the Leinster game) is fit. Some guys are returning to full fitness. Oli Kebble, Sazi Sandi and Deon Fourie are all returning to training,” added Hlungwani.
