Hurt Stormers hunting Highveld URC glory: ‘Always a nice challenge up there’

A hurt Stormers team is hunting Highveld glory as they take on the Lions at Ellis Park in their United Rugby Championship (URC) derby on Saturday afternoon.

It is the first of two tough derbies for the Cape side as they follow that up with a clash against the Bulls at Loftus two weeks later, to round out their run of URC local derbies for the current season.

The Stormers head into this weekend’s match off a heartbreaking 33-32 defeat against the Bulls at the Cape Town Stadium over the past weekend, after they missed a conversion to win it with less than a minute left in the game.

Despite the loss they still managed to pick up two losing bonus points from the game, which lifted them up to 10^th on the URC table.

The Lions are currently 13^th on the log, with two games in hand over most of the teams ahead of them, and both will be desperate for a win to rise up the log.

Hurting

Stormers assistant coach Dawie Snyman admitted that the team was hurting from the Bulls result, but that they were ready for the challenge of two difficult games on the Highveld, starting against the Lions this weekend.

“We had a look at the (Bulls) game and there’s obviously stuff that we need to work on but there’s also stuff we can build on. We’re looking forward to going to Ellis Park, we know it’s going to be a challenge up there, The Lions are a good team and tough to beat,” said Snyman.

“The SA derbies are tough, the boys really go at each other but we’re looking forward to going up to the Highveld. It’s always a nice challenge up there.

“The main thing was the result (against the Bulls), so it hurts a lot but there’s some good signs and stuff to build on, which is exciting. It feels like we’re moving forward as a team in terms of where we are in the season.”

Expansive game

Both teams are known for their expansive attacking game, and it was fully on show in December when the Stormers emerged with a 29-10 win over the Lions in Cape Town.

The Highveld side will thus be gunning for revenge back on home turf, and will also want to overturn their tight loss at Ellis Park from last season, where the Stormers edged a high scoring game 35-33.

“The Lions have always been a side that if you don’t get it right at Ellis Park, they can punish you. But it’s not just a defensive problem we need to solve, it’s how we play and tactically how we approach the game,” explained Snyman.

“If we don’t get that right, at Ellis Park where it’s fast, one mistake can lead to an 80-metre kick return for a try. There are great players there and we are aware of them, and we have to make sure we don’t give them space or time (on the ball).”