The Stormers' misfiring lineout was a major problem during their defeat to the Sharks in Cape Town and must be fixed ahead of the return clash.
The Stormers are aiming to up their game in the lineouts for their United Rugby Championship (URC) derby rematch against the Sharks at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday evening.
The Sharks stunningly ended the Stormers’ eight game winning start to the current URC season with an emphatic 30-19 win in Cape Town last weekend.
There were a number of problems from the Stormers side that led to the disappointing loss, but one of the biggest was their misfiring lineout which was picked apart by the Sharks during a dominant all-round set piece showing.
Numerous times the Stormers set up lineouts in the Sharks 22m area only to have the ball stolen, or botch the throw in some way, which didn’t allow their usually dominant maul to get going.
On the one occasion that they did successfully secure the ball and get the maul rumbling, they powered towards the line and earned a penalty try after it was pulled down illegally.
Weren’t up to scratch
Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani this week admitted that they weren’t up to scratch, and that they were thankful they had the chance to immediately rectify the problem in the rematch in Durban.
“It was definitely not the standards that we usually chase. The Sharks prepared well, but two skew throws close to the tryline has nothing to do with the opponent,” explained Hlungwani.
“An overthrow and a poor lift have nothing to do with the opponent. It is about things on our side of the court which we must improve.”
“It (playing a double header) gives you an opportunity to quickly deal with the challenges you faced and fix the mistakes instead of waiting three or four months for another crack at them. It’s a unique situation that probably suits the losing team. You can quickly deal with your demons.”
Big boost
A big boost for the Stormers heading into the match will be the likely return of powerhouse eighthman Evan Roos, who missed the previous game due to a hip pointer injury, and he will be tasked with doing a lot of the grunt work on Saturday.
“Evan is definitely someone we missed. He is very powerful, has a high work-rate and keeps us going forward,” said Hlungwani.
“Marcel Theunissen (who played eighthman in place of Roos) and Evan are very different players. Marcel is more of a finisher for us, but the late change last week forced us to swap those roles. We are hoping to have him back this week to regain that balance.”
Adapting to the often difficult humid conditions in Durban will also be key for the Stormers, as with a slippery ball they may have to temper their all-out attacking brand of rugby.
“Our game model can adapt to all types of conditions. It’s not about changing things, it’s about executing our roles and chasing our standards,” added Hlungwani.
