CAPE TOWN - While the Preparation Series matches are exactly that - preparation - the Stormers’ performance against Griquas was one the side should regard as more than just a once-off display employed during a non-competitive match.
The young squad survived a second-half fightback to beat Griquas 38-32 in Kimberley last week and ran in five tries in a performance that exuded freedom and intent. And it’s not like they were poorly challenged in that encounter ...
Griquas were on a mission right out the blocks as they looked threatening with ball in hand and tested the visitors’ defence, especially in the first quarter. But, in the end, the work the Stormers put in during the first three quarters laid a solid foundation to combat the opposition’s final-quarter surge.
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Out of all the good the team can take from that performance (and let’s add that it wasn’t a flawless one, understandably), the standout factor was the team’s attacking game and the freedom and visible enjoyment they played with.
Regular head coach John Dobson has spoken about their goal of playing rugby that suits the team’s DNA and giving their playmakers more freedom to play the situation, and if that remains the objective, the game they played against Griquas should be the one we see even once the big-name players return for business in the Rainbow Cup.
And that doesn’t mean they need to move away from their strengths.
The Stormers came in for criticism last season for a perceived over-reliance on their set-piece and territory game, but it doesn’t have to be one or the other, attacking flair or set-piece bullying. In fact, the way the Stormers’ young front-rowers, especially a guy like Neethling Fouche, have been going in the absence of their World Cup-winning Boks has shown that they can still do their thing at the set-piece while giving their backs license to thrill.
With players like Sergeal Petersen, Ruhan Nel, Damian Willemse, Edwill van der Merwe, Leolin Zas, Herschel Jantjies (and many more) in the mix, it would be criminal not to allow them the same freedom their teammates and some of those players themselves enjoyed up in Kimberley.
Again, Dobson has spoken about empowering their players and adding fresh talent like Tristan Leyds and Kade Wolhuter to their brimming pot of backline X-factor.
But if they are really to do this union’s DNA justice, we have to see that kind of style and that same spirit they beat Griquas with when they get to the real competition going forward.