DHL Stormers full of confidence
Forwards coach Mathew Proudfoot expressed his pride in the team’s display in the second half. He said: “The team is really confident following the comeback in Auckland. We weren’t happy with the display in the first half, but we fought hard in the second 40 and never gave up. That is the type of rugby we want to play, so we were delighted to see it all come together in the end.”
The team have now moved on to the Australian leg of their tour, where they are based in Sydney. Mathew says the trip across the Tasman was a happy one, with the players delighted to be in a warmer climate. “We had a great trip to Sydney and have settled in nicely. It is really nice to get a bit of sun and to get away from the rain and wet. It is not quite being in Cape Town, but it certainly nice to be in Sydney.”
Whilst the result has certainly buoyed spirits in the camp, Proudfoot knows they cannot take their foot off the boil against a Brumbies side who have not reached the heights of previous sides from the Australian capital.
“The Brumbies are a side that have nothing to lose. They are very talented and although things have not gone their way this season they are still a very dangerous team with some great game breakers. It is going to be a huge challenge and we cannot take them lightly.”
Squad wise the DHL Stormers could welcome back a few old faces with Peter Grant, Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie all training on Monday. They will all be assessed Tuesday to determine their eligibility.
Nevertheless, Kurt Coleman has been flown in as cover at flyhalf following Lionel Cronje’s injury on Friday. He was joined by prop Frans Malherbe, who comes in as a replacement for CJ van der Linde. The Springbok forward is expected to be back and ready to play when the team return to South Africa in June.
Off the field, the team are just looking to relax and focus on the game. “Tonight (Monday), we are having dinner to celebrate Allister Coetzee’s birthday. Otherwise we are just preparing for another big one on Saturday.”
We hope that the coach gets another birthday present this Saturday, similar to the one the boys gave him in Auckland.
