Stormers ready for ‘best of the best’ in Champions Cup

The Stormers are ready to face one of Europe’s most formidable teams when they turn out against English side Exeter Chiefs in their Champions Cup quarterfinal at Sandy Park on Saturday afternoon.

The defending United Rugby Championship (URC) champions are firmly into the business end of their season now, with just two pool games remaining in the URC before the knockouts, while the Champions Cup has just three rounds remaining.

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They face a tricky challenge against a tough Exeter side in England, but Stormers centre Ruhan Nel insisted they were looking forward to the clash.

“At the end of the day it’s now down to the business end of the competition. It’s the best of the best, so opportunities are becoming less and pressure is becoming more, so it’s about who can convert that pressure into points when it counts,” said Nel.

No time for mistakes

The Stormers are heading into the match off a solid 32-28 last 16 win over Harlequins in Cape Town, but they will need to make sure they don’t make the same mistakes they did in the closing moments of that game when they let a 32-7 lead slip.

Exeter head into the match off a 33-all draw in their last 16 match against Montpellier, where they had to dig deep to eventually progress to the quarters due to scoring more tries in the game against their French opponents.

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“We felt so in control of the entire game up until the 73rd minute (against Harlequins). I think it was a combination of things that happened on the field at that point,” explained Nel.

“It was things we were aware of that might happen and it did, and our ability to have stopped that late surge is something that always comes down to one or two lucky bounces or plays that we have to be sharp on, otherwise you find yourself under your poles.

“I think if there’s one thing that (Exeter) game has shown us is the fight and desperation these guys play with. They play with intensity, and a healthy balance between running, kicking and running it up the guts, complemented with good defence systems.”

Disruptive travel

The Stormers are also not worried about the disruptive travel schedule they’ve had to take to get to England for their knockout match, after they left a day late due to flights not being available on Monday.

The players also had to fly in different batches on different connecting flights, but Nel believed this may even help them be fresher and better prepared for the match.

“Many of us are playing long enough and technology has developed so much, so everybody was sitting with an iPad, cellphone or laptop, where we could go through the plan for the weekend, and have a look at Exeter’s stuff,” said Nel.

“So, sometimes in such a week, there will be one or two fewer field sessions, which is actually a good thing as you remain fresh, but mentally, you stay sharp as it almost forces you to spend a bit more time behind the computer screen.

“It’s definitely not something that we are concerned about, and after Saturday’s game and the day of travel, maybe one less practice is actually a good thing.

“Ideally, direct flights will always be prize number one, but we can’t change certain things. So there’s no use fighting it or pondering on it, or having that affect us once we get here.”