DHL Stormers aiming even higher
DHL Stormers Head Coach Robbie Fleck wants to see his team build on their encouraging 37-24 victory against the Vodacom Bulls at DHL Newlands on Saturday.
Fleck’s charges scored five tries in their opening Vodacom Super Rugby clash with the Pretoria side, but Fleck is confident that they can improve on that performance going forward.
A clinical first half saw the DHL Stormers take a 24-0 advantage into the half-time break, but a few soft moments allowed the Vodacom Bulls to score four tries of their own in the second half.
Fleck said that while he was very pleased with the intensity his team showed in the first half, there are still some areas of their game which they need to work on this week ahead of their clash with the Jaguares at DHL Newlands on Saturday.
“It was a good first half and tactically we got it right, I felt our physicality was outstanding and we took our opportunities.
“There were certain soft moments in the second half, but it was a good start for us and lots of positives that we can take away, but we are certainly not the finished product yet.
“Those soft moments are things that we can fix quite quickly and I am glad they happened because we need to continue working hard. It is just the start and it is a long competition so we have got to keep working hard as a group,” he said.
One of the most impressive aspects of the DHL Stormers performance against the Vodacom Bulls was the dominance of their set-pieces as they got the better of their rivals in both the scrums and line-outs.
“We work hard on our set-piece, it is something that we pride ouselves on and we will keep working on it,” said Fleck.
The DHL Stormers coach admitted that he was disappointed with the way his team let the visitors back into the game in the second half and added that they will take a hard look at themselves to try and rectify those issues this week.
“The disappointing part is that we spoke about that at half-time, we didn’t want to let them back in and we wanted to continue with that momentum.
“As a group we are going to be hard on ourselves and we can only improve if we are honest with each other and keep working hard,” he said.
DHL Stormers captain Siya Kolisi echoed his coach’s sentiments and said that while it was rewarding to win their first game in front of their home fans, the challenge will be to back that up against the Jaguares next week.
“It was a tough game, but what a great way to start the season. We have worked very hard in the pre-season and a lot of it came out, but we still have a lot of improving to do.
“As a leader and a new group of leaders I have got a lot of stuff that I want to work on,” he said.
Centre Damian de Allende was the only major casualty from the clash against the Vodacom Bulls after sustaining an ankle injury which may sideline him for some time.
“Damian is not good news, he is going to go for scans but my understanding is that it is not positive news,” said Fleck.
