History counts against Vodacom Stormers
They face opposition that in the history of the tournament have enjoyed the upper hand over them.
The Stormers host the Brumbies, who have been their bogey team down the years, at Newlands on Saturday (17h05), a game they must win to stay in the running.
In ten previous Super Rugby meetings, the Stormers have won just once, way back in 1998 when they beat the Brumbies 34-3 at Newlands. The closest they have come since was a 15-all draw in Cape Town in 2006.
On current form, the Stormers will be favoured for the win but they have sustained injuries to some key players over the past two weeks and will need their back up players to perform against a Brumbies side that can grind out a result when they need to.
Previous Super Rugby meetings: Stormers vs Brumbies
Stormers have won: 1 Brumbies have won: 8 Drawn: 1
2007 Brumbies 26 Stormers 13 in Canberra
2006 Stormers 15 Brumbies 15 in Cape Town
2005 Brumbies 22 Stormers 19 in Canberra
2004 Stormers 15 Brumbies 33 in Cape Town
2003 Brumbies 37 Stormers 22 in Canberra
2002 Stormers 15 Brumbies 36 in Cape Town
2001 Brumbies 40 Stormers 25 in Canberra
2000 Stormers 15 Brumbies 39 in Cape Town
1999 Brumbies 37 Stormers 15 in Canberra
1998 Stormers 34 Brumbies 3 in Cape Town
Whilst their destiny is pretty much still in their own hands, the Stormers will be hoping that some of the other teams will do them some favours by collecting wins over fellow challengers.
The Western Force and the Lions are other teams that could further the Stormers cause at the weekend. The Force host the fourth-placed Chiefs in Perth on Friday (11h40) and the Lions are away against the fifth-placed Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday (09h35).
