DHL Stormers to take on the Crusaders

The Crusaders qualified for the DHL Newlands semifinal by beating the Sharks 36-8 in the first round play-off decider in New Zealand today. The DHL Stormers qualified to host the semifinal by finishing second on the overall log and had a bye this week.

The other first round play-off decider saw the Blues beat the Waratahs in Auckland 26-13 yesterday. The Blues now travel to play the other host semifinalists, the table topping Reds, in Brisbane.

On taking on the Crusaders in a week’s time the coach said, “The Crusaders are a champion side and know how to win the knock-out games. They offer a massive challenge and we know what we are up against. We were disappointed with our performance against them at DHL Newlands in the league phase and we will certainly look to right the mistakes we believe we made there. Next week is a big week for us.” Commenting on the bye this week the coach added, “The off week has been a very important one for us both mentally and physically and the players will return on Monday focussed and refreshed for what will be a massive game.”