First there is the small matter of taking on the Cape Cobras in a cricket match at Newlands on Sunday. But that doesnt mean the Vodacom Stormers do not have their eyes firmly fixed on succes in this year’s Vodacom Super 14.
After the disappointment of last season the players are keen to set the record straight this time around.
Captain Schalk Burger told the media this week he was looking forward to the season, as the Stormers have a strong team. He also expects to deal with a lot of pressure as captain – his debut season in that role after Jean de Villiers left at the end of last season to play club rugby in Ireland.
“There will be much more pressure on me as captain, but I was a senior player at Western Province the past three, four years, so I know what is expected of me.” Burger is keen to get back into action.
“There are always huge expectations in Cape Town. Last year we finished tenth on the log and the year before that we were fifth. But with Jaque (Fourie) and Bryan (Habana) playing for us this year we added a couple of high profile players.
“We did well in the Currie Cup and almost reached the final. Now we want to start the Super 14 well. We have more experience and got a good draw, but we still need to win the games. Hopefully this will be our year.”
Lock Anton van Zyl echoed his captain’s sentiments, saying the Stormers have their sights on the best Super14 performance in the history of the franchise this year.
“The high expectations of supporters are justified. The team started showing promise from the end of last year’s Super14 through the Currie Cup, and there are also new acquisitions,” said Van Zyl.
“We’re working hard at becoming the complete package, not as individuals, but as a team.
“As a team we’d like to come up with the best Stormers performance ever, but on a more practical level and in terms of vision, we’d just like to improve our performance every week. We’d like to perform better as a team than any Stormers team before us.”
From the WP Website
Well, the Stormers have bought quality players (Habana & Mossie), they’ve managed to discard the Fluke Factor…. they have a DOR in Rassie and has Alistair as Head Coach…. their tight 5 is not so light anymore…
So, they should do better, they certainly talk a good game now… let’s see if it is successfully transfered to the playing field.
If they do not make it this season, or at least improve markedly, then they should just give up and go surf and drink Vaaljapie!
Same old same old….
Haviing said that, they’ve got a good team, the question is …have they got the mentality?
Exactly, Blouste.
I will give them this though, they have got rid of Luke, and that can only be a positive.
Ok, Im gonna give my 2-cents about the Stormers.
Look, as Stormers fans we get treated with the biggest promises known to man every year during Jan and Feb in the build-up to the Super 14. The Cape media spin doctors do their thing and we all go for it. Not because we believe that THIS will be the year, but simply because we WISH, hope and pray that this year will be the year.
And as Stormers supporters, why shouldn’t we.
Yes, during the Super 12 we did not make the semi’s or finals as many times as the Sharks, and we share our number of semi-final appearances with the like of the Cats. But then again, never did the Stormers occupy a bottom 3 spot. Not even in the S14. Unlike every other SA franchise, the Stormers have always been competitive, even in our worst 2 years. One thing separates this team from all other SA teams in that we never had a bottom 2 spot.
But its not only a case of “well, at least we never sucked”. Like I said, the Stormers have always been competitive. Apart from those two appearances in the semi’s we have been in the top half 4 times since the Super 12 Franchise system started. Now, you might think, wooooooooooooooooooooooow, thats SO GOOD! 4 times!
But lets put it this way. Since 1999, the Bulls have been in the top half 5 times, the Sharks 5 times, the Stormers, not too far behind, 4 times, and the Cats (Lions/Cheetahs combined) 3 times.
On average not a bad record, taken in the context of South African performances in the past 10 years. mind you, out of the 5 times the Bulls and Sharks were up there they were UP there.
So history does suggest that the Stormers does not SUCK so badly.
And lets face it, the squad this year, just like in SO many other years looks really good. I mean, just to have Habana, Jaques Fourie and Jantjies (Yes, there is a reason why he has 24 Caps) in one backline is pretty awesome. Then to have a loose trio of Burger, Louw and Vermeulen would make many a coach smile, while the lock pairing of Bekker and van Zyl is not too bad. All in all, a good team.
So as a fan, I expect them to at least finish in the top 4. But they wont… is it because of their laid back Cape Town fashion? No. Is it because there are too many ego’s in the team. With Luke out, no. Is it because the coaches are useless and there is no depth in the squad? No. None of the above is event present, let alone a factor. IMO.
Its because they don’t seem to appreciate that this is Super Rugby. Would I put all my money on this Stormers team making the semi and finals of the Vodacom Cup, the air NZ Cup, the Premiership league, the Top 14 or even the Heineken Cup. Without a question. But the fact is that this is where the big boys play. This is were you can make the final, and still get your ass handed to you, 61-17, if you are not in the game. Or where you can make the finals of the best domestic rugby competition in the world 5 out of 6 years and still end in the bottom 2-3.
If the southern Hemisphere had the same money as Europe (France) the Super 14 would, and listen to this, IMO, be the toughest and most competitive league or round-robin team sport competition IN THE WORLD.
If SA, NZ and to a lessor extent Aus had unlimited money, the Super Rugby series would be, in terms of actual competitiveness and pure sporting achievement, be bigger than the Eufa Champs League, the Super Bowl or MLB World series.
The thing is, the standards are already pretty damn high. And realizing that is the one big mistake I think the Stormers seem to make every damn year. Until they grow their beards and get stuck in the mud, they will always be also-ran’s.
But on the day they get that right, be afraid. Be very, very afraid.
I have this feeling that, with the acquisition of Habana and Fourie the whole teams physical and mental make up has improved tenfold. Habana has been part of a winning culture for many years now and his mental edge will infect the team and I do feel that both he and Mossie being very successful springboks are going to lift the stormers tremendously, I forsee a very very good season for the stormers and for the future years to come, which is a good thing, even though I am a Bulls supporter SA rugby needs our franchises to be strong and competitive!
I’m rather tight lipped about the Bulls chances this year… or let me put it this way, I do not think this is going to be a good Super 14 for any of the SA Teams.
There are definate weaknesses in every SA Super 14 Team….. Bulls (front row, outside centre and left wing), Cheetahs (scrummie and fly half… and lack of Super 14 mentality), Sharks (midfield and fly half… and choker tag), Stormers (fly half, one lock, one wing… and show pony / ego tag), Lions (lack of proper depth in a few positions, fly half, locks, one wing…. and brand new structures)
But hey, I said the same at the start of 2009… had my serious doubts about the Bulls then.
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