Allister Coetzee
DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee was disappointed with his team’s showing against the Highlanders, but he still believes they have what it takes to play winning rugby on their 2015 Vodacom Super Rugby tour.
The DHL Stormers went down 21 / 39 to the Highlanders in Dunedin earlier today and were unable to give flanker Schalk Burger the win they all craved in his 100th game for the Cape-based franchise.
“I am very disappointed,” Coetzee told www.iamastormer.com on Saturday evening (NZ time), “this wasn’t what we wanted for Schalk in his 100th match and it certainly wasn’t what we wanted in our 1st tour match.
“That said, it’s not a train-smash. We know we can get it right for next week (against the Hurricanes), despite it being a short week.”
Coetzee praised his team’s start, which saw them lead 7 / 0 after 18 minutes of play, but he was disappointed with a few execution errors which forced them to play catch-up after halftime as they conceded 3 first-half tries to trail by 24 / 7.
“I thought we started very well and found a lot of space in the 1st 20 minutes,” he said, “we dominated initially, but those final passes did not go to hand.
“Those execution errors cost us points and we then had to play catch-up which is tough to do against a team like the Highlanders that does not make any errors.”
Another positive for the DHL Stormers was their lineout and scrum, whilst Coetzee was also complimentary of their kicking game.
He added: “Our kick-chase was good tonight, it was an improvement from the Chiefs game.
“We need to be more patient with ball in hand and we need to protect the ball too – conceding 19 turnovers is a big disappointment for us.
“I believe we can win next week, as well as our remaining tour matches, and we will do whatever it takes to pick up a win – be it team selection or working even harder at training.”
Coetzee, meanwhile, reported no major injury concerns after the Highlanders clash, whilst Eben Etzebeth and Mike Rhodes both made satisfactory comebacks from injury in the 2nd half.
The DHL Stormers will return to Queenstown on Sunday – their base for the past few days – before making their way to Wellington next Thursday ahead of their meeting with the unbeaten Hurricanes the following day (3 April – 08:35 SA Time, 19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT).
No train-smash as yet…. but its getting there.
Kolbe too small to play out wide.
Leyts is out of his league at this level…. everybody but AC knows that Pat Howard should be in the team instead of him.
Catrakilles and Coleman are never going to make it at this level either.
Schreuder is a club player at the most.
Re the rest of the tour is concerned, in the words of the great John Fogerty: ” I see a bad moon rising… i see trouble on the way….
Earthquakes arising???
Agree on some points, but not all. Kolbe’s tackling technique is not suited to Super 15, he is trying to take the man and ball and he’s too small for that. Like DeJong and Aplon, if you are not big enough you have top tackle around the ankles. Yes the guy can offload more easily but he doesn’t slip the tackle.
Pat Howard is on loan and will be home soon. It’s time to give Cheslin a rest. Any ideas where Taute’s injury rehab is?
Hurricanes and Lightning???
We need to play more to our strengths which is the set pieces, so kick the ball well out, maul it up, put pressure on at scrum time. Load the backline with bigger guys. Kotze, Jones to come in for Leyds and Kolbe. Call it rotation….
@ Stormersboy:
Rivers overflowing?
No idea how it is going with the rehab of Taute at moment…..last i heard is it was going slower as expected..
Howard is back for a while already and is currently vice captain for the Vodacom team.
@ robzim: š
I heard things were taking longer.
Pat should be moved up to the senior team when the tour gets home. Not much use on tour, but Johnny Lotze impressed, and Huw Jones is a really big guy, I would play him for sure.
*Kotze
We are not going to get anywhere before we have a decent flyhalf… the last decent flyhalf WP/Stormers had was Joel Stransky.
Pollard is making a huge difference at the Bulls.
@ robzim:
Yes he is. I am surprised that Robert Du Preez Jr is not being better groomed.
@ Stormersboy:
Me too. It’s not like there is a shortage of hairdressers in Cape Town.
Stormersboy wrote:
That’s sounds like the Bulls gameplan?
Oh wait ….
Stormersboy wrote:
gunther wrote:
Attachment:
gunther wrote:
I stopped short of saying the traditional Bulls game plan but yes, that’s what I meant
Stormersboy wrote:
I am not sure whether Robert is injured but at the moment Jean-Luc du Plessis ( back from the Sharks) is the flyhalf of the Vodacom team with Rayno Eksteen on the bench. I have my doubts whether either of them is really good enough…. Eksteen seems injury proned and if du Plessis was so good the Sharks would have offered him a decent contract.
“Size does not matter”- Damian de Allende.
It is clear that Damian was either very polite or had no clue what he talked about and that it is nearly impossible for a team to hide a backline comprising of 5 (out of 7) midget sized players against decent NZ opposition.
Ma’a Nonu, Julian Savea et al must be licking their lips in anticipation for Friday night.
Prior to the kick off of the SR most supporters, including those supporting the Stormers, would have expected the Stormers to finish mid to bottom of the log ( except Nama and the senior members of the glass half full club )
Many also believed that the Sharks and Bulls would be facing it off for the top spot in the SA Conference.
The Stormers surprised in the first four rounds and somehow managed to beat the Bulls away and Sharks at home, heralding in some sort of false dawn.
Now, 7 rounds in the status quo seems to be restored and the Sharks and Bulls are fighting it out at the top of the conference and the Stormers are dropping to the mid table…..with some more free falling expected in the next few weeks.
It really shouldn’t be considered such a big surprise, but because of those wins at the start, expectations were created that this team can’t fulfill.
Hopefully they can end 3rd in the SA conference, but that will depend on how well the Lions play at home from here on in.
robzim wrote:
@ Stormersboy:
Don’t be so Nama is a believer š
robzim wrote:
Stormersboy wrote:
We’ve been saying he’s to small all along
Brian Mitchell was one of the best boxers we ever produced but put him in the ring against Gerrie Coetzee or even Mike and he would have been beaten
‘n Goeie grote is altyd beter as ‘n goeie kleintjie
nortie wrote:
The Bulls and Sharks still have to play overseas, the Stormers and Lions are at home now
The Bulls are notoriously bad oversease and have to play the Blues, Chiefs, Brumbies and Rebels, I doubt it they’ll even win one on the road
The Sharks play the Highlanders, Hurricanes, Waratahs and the Reds, they are much better on the road and should win at least two
So don’t write off your team
@ Victoriabok:
Bulls gave a nice draw, they should pick up the points against the Blues and Rebels.
Sharks should pick up a win against the Reds.
Advantage Bulls over Sharks
nortie wrote:
Bulls are crap on the road
They still have to play the Stormers, Lions and Shark away as well
@ Victoriabok:
Doesn’t matter how poor a team on the road is, they will beat the Blues….they are crapper than anyone else home and away.
The Rebels should also not prove a problem.
Bulls should beat the Stormers second time around as well.
Lions looked good on the road but terrible at home, so Bulls should pick up the points this weekend.
Sharks should beat them at Kings Park, but I don’t think they will pick up more than 1 win on the road. Landers, Waratahs and Canes are good
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