The Stormers have been handed the perfect blueprint of what to do — and what not to do — in their semi-final against Leinster from the last two matches involving the defending United Rugby Championship (URC) winners.
Bordeaux Bègles produced the ideal game plan a couple of weeks ago to dominate the Irish powerhouse in the Champions Cup final, while the Lions were dismantled by Leinster in the URC quarter-finals a week later, conceding nine tries in the process.
Those two matches should provide valuable lessons for the Stormers as they chase a third Grand Final appearance in the history of the tournament. They face Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday evening (6.30pm kick-off).
The French champions bullied Leinster and made their rush defence look ordinary in a 41-19 victory. Their forward play and direct approach in the tight exchanges were exceptional, while clever passes out the back helped them bypass the rushing tackles.
For the Lions, that style of play worked in patches, but they were unable to maintain the intensity. That gave the Leinster defence, shaped by former Bok guru Jacques Nienaber, enough time to shut down the South Africans’ attack. It also forced the Lions into throwing the ball around too hastily, leading to interceptions and missed opportunities.
The Stormers must therefore use Bordeaux’s ball-carrying as their compass, with players such as eighthman Evan Roos, flanker Ben-Jason Dixon and prop Ntuthuko Mchunu needing to step up even further. If they cannot generate front-foot ball, there will be little space for the backline to outwit Leinster’s rush defence with clever passing out the back. Bordeaux created space out wide through powerful forward play and slick handling.
Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani said they are under no illusions about the quality of the side they will face, both on attack and defence.
“Whatever strategy we decide to use, we know we’ll have to be at the top of our game,” Hlungwani said.
“We can sit here and talk about pick-and-gos all we want, but the reality is that this is a strong team. If we can pick-and-go from our 22-metre line, we will definitely do it because it is a safe way of playing. However, it will be a massive mountain to climb in front of their home fans.
“This is a very strong team we are playing, so we have to look at everything. How they played against Bordeaux, against us in Dublin, against Toulouse and Edinburgh. That is what we are studying. Anything we can use to build confidence. If we want to stand a chance on Saturday, we have to limit their entries into our 22.”
