It's into virgin territory for the pride of Cape rugby at Newlands on Saturday as Jean de Villiers and his players get set for the storming of the Bastille against a Brumbies side swimming for survival in the Super 14.
The only player in the Stormers side who has been into the death zone of the Super 14 and surfaced to make a semi-final is wing Wylie Human, the new face making his Stormers debut. Human played in the same Cats side as coach Rassie Erasmus that lost in the 2001 playoffs to the Sharks.
On the other side of the field will be three Australians who have combat experience in Super 14 finals: captain Stirling Mortlock, flank George Smith and wing Mark Gerrard (Mortlock and Smith have two winner's medals).
What the Stormers need to remind themselves in the dressing room tomorrow as the pressure mounts in the race to the playoffs is that they were good enough this season to produce the best away record on tour in Australasia of any South African side in the Super 14.
The Stormers have already proven that they have the temperament, the ability and the belief to deliver in this year's Super 14. What hasn't been tested so far is their depth under pressure - particularly without star Springbok Schalk Burger, the only player in their squad who has survived the ultimate challenge of a World Cup semi-final and the final itself.
When you are sixth (Stormers) and seventh (Brumbies) on the log at high altitude with three rounds to play, survival becomes the only objective. Winning, moving on to the next game and keeping injuries to a minimum becomes the only priority when, at the start of Round 11, there is just one point separating the third-placed Sharks from the sixth-placed Stormers.
Every point, bonus point and even the margin of victory or defeat is critical now. That means that split-second decisions made in the heat of battle, when legs and limbs are tiring and mental fatigue is taxing, will be critical.
An intercept pass, a lost lineout or a charged down kick could be terminal and the question is: Will the Stormers get stage fright or continue to perform with the confidence that has punctuated their campaign this season?
"What we are focusing on is winning our games. First of all you have to win and then after that the bonus point comes into play. If we win all our games we should be good (for the semi-finals)," said Stormers captain Jean de Villiers this week.
In the same breath Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher believes that the team that loses at Newlands tomorrow will have their semi-final hopes extinguished.
"Maybe for them it is really a crunch game," retorted De Villiers, no doubt referring to the three points that the Australian side is in arrears to the Stormers.
"We do not want to think about the semi-finals right now. As it comes closer and closer it becomes more of a reality, but if we think about that all of our energy might be diverted from preparing well for this game. Our priority is getting our structure right and executing well. Then the semi-final will take care of itself," added the Stormers skipper.
That's the theory. But how does it work in practice?
De Villiers, who has won a Tri-Nations winner's medal with the Springboks and is no stranger to pressure, elaborated: "The more you get into those pressure situations the better you become at taking the right options and making the correct decisions.
"As the captain it will be critical for me to make the correct calls, but in a game you get a feeling for how the team is doing, what the morale is like and the momentum you are creating."
In the Brumbies side wing Adam Ashley-Cooper, No 8 Julian Salvi, lock Mark Chisholm, reserve prop Guy Shepherdson, Gerrard, Mortlock and Smith are the only survivors from the side that drew 15-15 with the Stormers in their last battle at Newlands two years ago.
There's no Clyde Rathbone (injured), no Matt Giteau, Stephen Larkham, George Gregan or Paul Young, Wallabies who have retired or moved on from the Brumbies. And Fisher has already been fired.
At face value the Stormers should not be in awe of a Brumbies side accustomed to humiliating rivals with their dazzling running angles and phase play when they were at their peak from 2000-2004, making four finals and winning two.
But this is also a Brumbies side who are not expected to win tomorrow with little pressure on their shoulders. And that is what makes them awkward and potentially lethal opponents at Newlands tomorrow.