Team gets back to business
DHL Stormers forward coach Mathew Proudfoot admitted that there was a definite feeling amongst the players of wanting to make amends after Saturday’s result.
He said: “Today’s training went really well. The guys were really disappointed with how Saturday’s display so there is certainly extra motivation for the team and you could see that today. This weekend is a good opportunity to put in a better performance.
“It was also great to have a guy like Peter Grant back fit and well. He is an experienced player and will be a great addition to the squad for this weekend’s game.”
Having reflected on their last result, Proudfoot spoke about what went wrong at DHL Newlands on Saturday. “We were very unhappy with our turnover stats from Saturday’s game against the Bulls, particularly those from set phase. We have spent a lot of time on our set phases today trying to be more accurate in that part of the game and to get ourselves in positions where we can attack for longer periods.
“We certainly improved in the last 20 minutes against the Bulls and we will be looking to replicate that level of performance this weekend against the Cheetahs.”
A trip to Bloemfontein is what awaits the side and Proudfoot knows that despite not being in contention for the Vodacom Super Rugby Final Series, the Toyota Cheetahs will be a huge challenge for our boys.
“The first thing that you need to be aware of with the Cheetahs is how they play the game. They like to have a high tempo, high phase game with a lot of offloading to break the defensive system. They also enjoy playing for turnovers from the set phase so the battle for first phase ball is going to be crucial.
“Their physicality is also something we will need to combat. A guy like Ashley Johnson has really been playing well. They are very competitive on the ground and make big hits in defence so it is going to be a very tough clash, but it always is in Bloemfontein and we are not expecting anything less.”
The DHL Stormers team for the Bloem clash will be announced on Wednesday by coach Allister Coetzee at his weekly press conference and will be available at www.iamastormer.com.
