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‘We are fighters’: Stormers ready for trophy battle against Munster
The title holders have been getting off to slow starts on occasion this season before coming back and taking charge.
Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani says the team will fight for the entire 80 minutes when they face Munster in the URC final on Saturday. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
Defending champions the Stormers are ready to fight until the last whistle in an effort to hang onto the trophy they won last season when they host the 2022/23 United Rugby Championship (URC) final against Munster at Cape Town Stadium this weekend.
That is the promise of assistant coach Rito Hlungwani ahead of the season finale on Saturday.
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The Stormers forwards coach has called his players “fighters”, men who never give up, no matter the situation they find themselves in. And on Saturday, when it matters most, he believes it will be no different, whether they make a fast start or have to come from behind to achieve their goal.
Contrasting seasons
In contrast to last season, when the Stormers would get off to fast starts in matches before holding off teams at the end, they have been getting off to slow starts on occasion this season before coming back and taking charge.
During their 26-24 loss against Munster last month in Cape Town, the visitors took an early 12-0 lead and led 19-12 midway through the second half before the Stormers fought back to lose by just two points.
Against Benetton a week later they trailed 10-5 shortly before half-time but fought back to win the match 33-21.
And in their semi-final against Connacht they battled back from an early eight-point deficit to seal a 43-25 win.
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“If we could start the games by scoring first and taking the lead we would take that any day. It’s obviously not something we plan, but one thing I can tell you about this team is that we are fighters,” said Hlungwani.
“We never stop until the end, so whether we take the lead or whether we are behind, our mindset is to keep fighting for each other. Munster are a strong team that never go away, so we have to fight for the full 80 minutes.”
Second final
With this being their second consecutive URC final, the Stormers aren’t entering uncharted territory, which will give them a bit of a boost as they welcome the Irish challengers.
“There is a bit of a benefit but we are playing a different team (they played the Bulls in last season’s final) so the prep will be slightly different. But it is nice to have that feeling of knowing that you’ve been here before,” said Hlungwani.
The hosts, however, could be hampered by inclement weather, with cold and rainy conditions scheduled for Cape Town this weekend, which would suit Munster, but Hlungwani wasn’t too concerned about it.
“If it rains we will be prepared for that. It won’t be the first time that we’ve played in the rain, so it’s not something we are concerned about,” explained Hlungwani.
“We feel we will still be able to execute our plans and play to our strengths. It’s something that we can’t control, but if it does rain or does get windy we will find ways to put our best foot forward.”
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