Stormers gearing up for wet weather URC final against Bulls

The Stormers are preparing for a wet weather United Rugby Championship (URC) final against the Bulls at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, with poor weather in the city this week expected to return on the weekend.

This should make for an interesting encounter as both teams have enjoyed spreading the ball and using their exciting backlines during the tournament, which they will be unable to do as much if the weather is miserable.

The Bulls will have a bit of a leg up in that department having  won their semifinal against Leinster in wet weather, but the Stormers also have the chance to train in it this week.

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“This week up till Wednesday is quite wet and then it looks like it’s coming in on Saturday again. So we are fortunate enough that we have an opportunity to train in it this week. We are preparing for slippery weather conditions on Saturday,” said Stormers assistant coach Dawie Snyman.

Despite the weather conditions not being conducive to the hosts’ regular playing style, they have been a lot more conservative in their two playoff games so far, and they will probably have to play a similar game in the final.

“We will adjust to whatever scenario we face. We are a team that makes decisions on space and opportunities that are available when they are presented. So we won’t go away from that,” explained Snyman.

“If there is an opportunity to run we will have a crack, but we also have to be clever about it. So we have been working really hard to get the balance right.

“So I can’t say if we are just going to kick or just going to run. We will make the decisions in terms of the scenario during the match.”

Positive mood

The Stormers will also be in a positive mood in the build up after a number of their players received Springbok call-ups on the weekend, including for loose forwards Evan Roos and Deon Fourie who were called up for the first time.

“It’s great. We are part of a union that wants to do well in competitions. But we also want to give guys the opportunity to perform at their best and get the opportunity to play for the national setup,” said Snyaman.

“That usually comes down to the team’s performance. So if the team is playing well guys like Evan and Deon will shine and that’s why they are in the national setup at the moment.

“That’s obviously very pleasing for us but it’s also a reflection on the team and how their team mates are doing, so hats off to them. It’s always a bit of a celebration for us when any of our team makes the national squad and we are all happy to have had a helping hand in making that possible.”