Pierre Uys for Hendrik Gerber at flank is the only change to the Stormers side for Saturday’s Super 12 showdown with the Hurricanes at Newlands.
Gerber was concussed after a collision with teammate Quinton Davids in the first minute of last week’s 46-25 win over the Highlanders.
With Uys elevated from the bench, Johan van Zyl has been drafted into the 22-man squad. Schalk Burger would have been preferred for this role, but he sprained an ankle during a Western Province training session last Friday.
The Stormers are sitting pretty ahead of Saturday’s match, with two wins from as many matches. Their opponents have lost their two opening encounters and are yet to register a log point.
However, Stormers coach Gert Smal and captain Corne Krige, who will be playing in his 50th match in the black jersey, are under no illusions.
”It’s important that we are consistent. The mark of a quality team is to play consistently well and that is what we want to be,” said Smal.
Krige echoed the sentiment and said there was little relevance in the Hurricanes losing their first two games.
”It’s a long tournament and it’s not won or lost in the first two weeks. I wouldn’t be panicking if I was them. We must not read too much into that,” said Krige.
”We must look at how we can improve because being 22-0 down is not ideal. We must start playing well from the opening whistle.”
The Stormers had a shocking opening half-hour against the Highlanders last Saturday before recovering spectacularly and turned a 22-point deficit into an emphatic 46-25 victory.
However, they are only too aware that they have flattered only to deceive on a number of occasions before. Last year the Stormers produced a spectacular fightback from 21-0 down to beat the Waratahs in Sydney.
Then, a week after beating the Bulls in Pretoria, the Stormers lost a home match to the Reds where they had been a man to the good from early in the first half.
In 2001 there was a stunning victory over the Crusaders only for the Stormers to come unstuck against a struggling Blues side the next week.
That 26-12 defeat effectively dashed their semifinal hopes.
”There is no reason to be big-headed and complacent. We have to be focused on the job at hand,” said Krige.
The Stormers skipper was reluctant to indulge himself in the milestone he will be achieving with his 50th game.
”It’s nice to talk about it before and after the game, but if you attach too much emotional significance to it, it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. The focus should be on what is really important and that is playing well,” said Krige.
The Hurricanes are best known for their exciting backs, with the All Black duo of Tana Umaga and Ma’a Nonu particularly menacing. However, Smal believes they have quality all round, in spite of their 40-19 defeat to the Bulls at the weekend.
”I won’t be surprised if they come with a highly motivated pack. We will have to be at our best to finish it off,” said Smal.
”You can never underestimate the Hurricanes. I rate their coach [Colin Cooper] very highly. He is quite shrewd. We will plan accordingly.” — Sapa