Stormers coach Allister Coetzee says that his team won’t change their defensive pattern to try to stop Reds dangerman Quade Cooper, and instead urged his team to produce more of the “good stuff” on attack in Saturday’s Super Rugby clash at Newlands.
Cooper is capable of single-handedly bamboozling opposition teams, and he showed against the Lions just what he can do with a sizzling display of stepping, passing and running. He scored a try himself with some wonderful skill after setting up wing Luke Morahan as well following a decisive break.
Partnered by ace Wallaby scrumhalf Will Genia, Cooper looms as the big threat to the Stormers’ famed defence on Saturday, but Coetzee said on Monday in Bellville that his team wouldn’t be forced into doing anything different at Newlands.
“You don’t get watertight defensive systems or defences that can’t be breached. You can’t cover everything, so it is going to be another challenge for us on Saturday. But we back our system. These guys are sitting with a nine and 10 who are the best decision-makers in Australia. If you get your best decision-makers and most skilful players to touch the ball more often, then (the opposition) have to answer more questions than normal,” Coetzee said.
“Will Genia and Quade Cooper will test us defensively. They’ve also got a couple of good strike-runners. Digby Ioane is a good rugby player, then (Will) Chambers and the speedster out wide (Rod Davies). As Mitch (Lions coach John Mitchell) would say, they have a good skills-set!
“I suppose if you do something untoward in your system, then you will have big problems. Why all of a sudden must you start doubting your system now, because of one player? I think we’ve got a plan, and we are definitely not changing our defensive system.
“He (Cooper) is still a great player, and some of our players will have to face him one-on-one, and if he steps an oke and rounds him, we know that it will happen. But with our system, it is about work-rate, there will be players scrambling back. Like I always say, it’s not my man, but the team’s man. We just have to make sure that we cut him out.”
And the Stormers will fancy their own chances of breaking the Reds defence. The likes of Jean de Villiers, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana and Gio Aplon have improved in every match, with Fourie producing a stand-out performance against the Sharks in Durban at the weekend, including setting up captain Schalk Burger’s try with a powerful break in midfield.
The Stormers struggled on attack in the first few games, but have gradually found their rhythm, resulting in six tries against the Western Force and playing a big part in victories over the Bulls and Sharks.
Also significant is the fact that the Reds have conceded 111 points to the Stormers’ 72, as well as 12 tries to the Stormers’ four. That indicates that the Reds’ defence is much easier to breach, although the Brisbane team are a better attacking team, having scored 182 points to the Stormers’ 148, and 19 tries to the nine of the Cape side. “What was good against the Sharks was how we maintained our defensive system,” Coetzee said.
“Also from an attacking point of view, while conditions were testing and difficult, we did some good stuff. Really kept ball-in-hand. The last time we played the Sharks in the Currie Cup, we made 100 tackles more than they did. This time around, they made about 30 tackles more than what we had to. It shows that, on attack, we held on to the ball very nicely and for longer periods. We made them make tackles.
“We need to improve on our game, and the few things that didn’t go well – irrespective of the conditions – we need to get right on Saturday. I would like to see that, when we have the opportunity and are five to 10 metres from the tryline, we convert that into points.
“There were a couple of occasions last Saturday where we didn’t do that and turned the ball over at crucial times. I would like to see that we are accurate at the breakdown and the cleaners get there in time.”
But while it will be the No 1 team on the Super Rugby log against No 3, the leaders of the South African and Australian conferences – and the Stormers are the only unbeaten side in the competition – Coetzee doesn’t believe that his team are favourites for Saturday’s game.
“You guys might say we are favourites, but we are definitely not favourites. These guys beat us convincingly last year. The scoreline (16-13) might not have reflected that, but remember that they went twice over, and just at the last minute, it was the pride in our side that stopped them from scoring. They did well last ye
“I’m not trying to downplay the thing here. It’s irrelevant where we are in the competition. It doesn’t give any team the right to think that they have arrived. We haven’t arrived yet. It’s a long way to go in the competition.
“We are up against a quality side and a coach like Ewen McKenzie, who is technically and tactically a sound guy who analyses well. They will always come up with a plan to unsettle us, something different. But we back our defensive system.”
The Stormers players took a break from practice on Monday, Coetzee saying that it is “the right thing to do after another physical clash against the Sharks”. But the coach added that he won’t make any changes, as the Stormers will enjoy their second bye on the Easter weekend, following next week’s Lions game in Johannesburg.
Meanwhile, Reds prop James Slipper was yesterday cleared in a Sanzar hearing following a supposed tip tackle on Lions hooker Bandise Maku, so he will play against the Stormers. – Cape Times
You’re not going to bully us.
This was the message from the Reds camp to the Stormers on Tuesday ahead of Saturday’s Super Rugby match at Newlands.
Reds coach Ewen McKenzie said that they had taken note of reports that the Stormers would get the better of them up front.
“I know from what you guys (the media) have been writing the talk is about the Stormers up front and about what they are going to do to us. However, we handled it last year and are looking forward to the challenge,” said McKenzie.
The Reds were one of five teams that managed to beat the Stormers last year. The others were the Brumbies, Western Force, Sharks and Bulls.
This year the Stormers are unbeaten after six games and they have already beaten the Force, Sharks and Bulls. They also physically dominated their opponents in those games.
However, like the Stormers, the Reds are a team that have woken up from a slumber in recent years and are looking for their fifth victory in a row this Saturday.
“Last year was a good one after the Reds had struggled for several years and the expectations are higher now. We were happy to carry those expectations into the season,” said McKenzie.
“I have been coming here for 20 years. Newlands is incredible when it’s full, but it’s our job to silence the crowd so that it’s not that intimidating,” said McKenzie.
“This team is also out to make history. We have been breaking hoodoos the past 16 months and there is no reason we can’t have a crack and win here.”
McKenzie believes his team will be prepared for any tactical eventuality.
“We will adapt, whether the rugby is structured or unstructured. This team has developed the ability to adapt.”
Article about Braam van Straaten and his plans.
http://www.rugby365.com/tournaments/super14/news/2715641.htm
@ superBul:
Gary Kirsten, with a full SA team of assistants, coaching India
Allan Donald coaching in NZ
Balie Swart coaching in NZ, here only regarded as a scrum coach
Nick Mallet coaching in Europe
Brendan Venter coaching in the UK
Braam coaching in Aus
Why can SA not have these talented people not rather be recognised here?
@ Loosehead:
Carlos Alberto Parreira coaching Bafana Bafana
John Mitchell coaching the Lions
Carlos Spencer coaching teh Lions
John Plumtree coaching the Sharks
Eddie Jones helping with the Springboks
Richard Pybus coaching Cobras
Those guys can’t coach in SA because of all the bloody foreigners stealing their jobs!!! 🙂
If Tendai Mtawarira stayed in Zim, he’d probably be their captain about now, and he’d have a few farms…makes one think ne?
@ superBul:2 – Reds had be far better than they were against Lions.
Stormers should beat the Reds at Newlands.
@ The Saint:
The Beast????????????? Farms? Surely you are thinking about Brian Mujati? 😆
@ Puma:
wITH THE EASE THAT THE sHARKS BROKE TROUGH THE sTORMERS DEFENSE ON sATURDAY? Sorry caps on.
No my friend i think this is a 50/50 match to start off with. Maybe the Stormers can use their home ground and supporters to swing it their way. Can Grant tackle Cooper? And Dewalt how good is he really?
But i hope the Stormers bubble stays intact, dont want them to burst it now.
Reds flyhalf Quade Cooper feels the best way for his side to counter the strong Stormers defence, is to keep on attacking it.
“If we worry too much about the Stormers’ defence, it will stop us from doing what we do well, which is to attack,” Cooper said on Tuesday.
“It will hurt us if we take our foot off the pedal on attack. They have the best defence, but we have to try and find ways around that. It will be tough, but that’s the challenge of playing football and against the Stormers.”
Cooper has enough tricks up his sleeve to even give Stormers defence coach Jacques Nienaber a sleepless night or two.
Just recently the Wallaby flyhalf launched a counter-attack from his own goal area with a cross-kick to Digby Ioane.
“For me it’s nothing outrageous, I just enjoy playing the game,” he said.
“You enjoy doing those things when you’re a kid playing backyard footy. This is just on a bigger stage in front of a few more people, I guess.”
@ superBul:
Lyk my jy praat met jouself vandag. Maar onthou jy vir Stephen Larkham, hy het ook die “ability” gehad om verdedigers te laat twyfel, ek dink die geheim vir verdediging teen iemand soos hulle is om te commit aan die tackle, die man seer te maak en dan sal hy twyfel en nie meer so confident wees nie.
@ biltongbek:
Gaan julle weer vir Bekker op hom loslaat. My pis is nog bitter oor die storie dat Bakkies nou aan niemand kleiner as hy kan raak of hy doen dit om “hom seer te maak” nie. Bekker kon die arme Mccloed se nek ook gebreek(dalk selfs verwurg)het maar nie n haan het gekraai nie.
@ superBul:
die probleem vir Bakkies is daar is nie veel spelers groter as hy nie, en die “reputasie” wat hom volg.
Andries Bekker het nog nie n’ reputasie nie.
Net terloops ek is nie n’ Stormer nie, en support al die spanne, dit help om objektief en emosioneel stabiel aan die ander kant van n’ Suid Afrikaanse rugby seisoen uit te kom.
Ek huil nie meer as n’ span verloor nie, en het lanklaas n’ tv gebreek of my vrou geskop.
biltongnek @ 14
jy’t al jou vrou geskop? 😯
btw, hoe lanklaas was dit? twee weke gelede? 😯
@ Ashley:
Wel, die laaste keer(omtrent 10 jaar gelede) to ek my vrou geskop het, het ek vir twee weke niks sien gebeur nie, hier op die 15de dag, kon ek so klein bietjie uit my linker oog sien.
16@ biltongbek:
Jou lanklaas gereeld hier sien blog…. moet nou nie weer verdwyn nie!
@ grootblousmile:
Sorry my maat, maar ek was die afgelope ses maande meer in die hospitaal as by die huis. As ek gesond bly sal ek nie verdwyn nie.
18@ biltongbek:
Nou wat het jou makeer?
@ grootblousmile:
Man, ssos die dokters aan my verduidelik het het ek bacteria opgedoen wat my wit bloed selle nie kon hanteer nie, en dit het toe absesse in my lewer veroorsaak.
Die goed wil nie weggaan nie en hou aan om terug te kom. Ek sien nou n’ spesialis op die 21ste wat hopelik die probleem kan oplos.
My maag is al oopgesny, ek het al meer dreine in my lyf gehad as wat ek kan hanteer, en overall lyk my torso soos n’ slagveld.
20@ biltongbek:
Eishhhhhhhhh, sterkte man!
21@ grootblousmile:
O….en drank help ook virrie lewer, alkohol steriliseer ALLES…. hehehe
@ biltongbek:
goeiste ou jy is seker gatvol gesukkel maar sterkte hoop hul kry n kuur vir jou.
Eintlik wou ek ook se ek kyk ook soos jy na rugby, my nick veraai my ne/ Maar ek kan erken as my span deur n beter een geklop is. Rugby is n great game en as jy wen lyk alles mos mooier, kyk hoe happy is die Kaap desdae, hulle wen, nou worry hul nie meer oor driee druk ens nie.
biltongnek @ 16
lol
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