­
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • British & Irish Lions
  • Videos
  • Supabets
  • Cars
    • Motoring News
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Daddy’s Deals

SA Rugbymag

South African rugby news, fixtures, results, video, interviews, and more. Covering the Springboks, Bulls, Stormers/Western Province, Sharks, Cheetahs, Kings and Lions, as well as schools and club rugby.

Primary Menu Search
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • British & Irish Lions
  • Videos
  • Supabets
  • Cars
    • Motoring News
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Daddy’s Deals

You are here: Home ∼ Stormers need to dictate pace against Sharks

Stormers need to dictate pace against Sharks

Stormers wing Sergeal Petersen against the Sharks Stormers back Sergeal Petersen
Published on March 12, 2020

The Sharks passed their proverbial acid test in hammering the Jaguares in Durban, and they will now host South Africa’s other top side, the Stormers, in what will be a defining match for the two sides, writes former Bok hooker JAMES DALTON.

The Stormers come off the back of a bye and a horrible loss to the Blues at home. The Sharks, conversely, will be high on confidence after bringing the success of their tour to home turf and picking apart the Jaguares.

As I’ve said many times this year, I’m really enjoying the way the Sharks play. They seem be the South African side best implementing the Rassie Erasmus/Springbok style of play – they attack space, stretch defences, and their territory kicking has been brilliant, as has the regain rate of their kicks, and when they kick high it’s effective.

The Stormers, to me, have been a lot more one-dimensional in their approach, relying on scrum, ruck and lineout dominance. When they didn’t find these against the Blues, their defensive system – which everyone had been praising – looked lost for answers and the Blues attacked space with pockets of players, leaving the Stormers looking sluggish.

The Stormers can’t afford to make the same kind of mistakes against a lethal Sharks side. If they are to be competitive, they need to be a lot more tactical. They need to slow the game up, to combat the Sharks’ quick-fire, high-pressure approach, and try to choke them out a bit.

WATCH: A war of words on Sharks vs Stormers

They also need to kick for lineouts, where they do have the advantage over the Sharks, rather than kicking straight down their throat, as the Sharks have a brilliant counter-attack, and the Stormers don’t have the defensive structure built to absorb a counter defence or attack from broken play.

Essentially, the Stormers need to bring the game down to their pace if they are to have a fighting chance against the Sharks. They must also try to make the most of the high penalty count that the Sharks often suffer as, while Damian Willemse has been inconsistent from the tee, it appears that Jean-Luc du Plessis may add some stability there. Where the Sharks did appear vulnerable, too, was in the last 20 minutes against the Jaguares, where they leaked some points and began to look a bit careless and unstructured.

The Stormers will no doubt be cognisant of this, and while the Sharks do have the edge, they need an 80-minute performance to emerge successful, not just a brilliant 60 minutes. It will be an interesting battle, too, of the packs, with the young Sharks pack being questioned constantly but then fronting week after week. The Stormers boast one off the strongest packs in the tournament and will be looking to restore faith after a poor showing against the Blues.

The Stormers will undoubtedly be looking to shake off the Blues loss and bye week, but at the end of the day, I think the Sharks are too high on confidence and too good. At home in the Shark Tank, they’ll edge their conference counterparts.

Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

Posted in James Dalton, Sharks, Stormers, Top headlines Tagged 2020 Super Rugby, sharks, Stormers, Super Rugby, The Sharks

Post by James Dalton

James Dalton

MPU #1 - (DESKTOP SIZE 300x250 / MOBILE SIZE 320x50, 300x250, 320x100)
← Previous Next →

Ratings: Du Toit one of the few standouts for Boks

The Boks faded in the second half to slump to a 22-17...

Five key areas the Boks need to dominate for first victory

SA Rugby magazine highlights five crucial areas the Boks will need to...

Duhan should be celebrated for his Lions success

Duhan van der Merwe’s achievements should be truly appreciated by South Africans,...

JdV: Boks-Lions have everything to play for

Performing in empty stadiums will be a key factor in the series...

Dynamic Dayimani: Forward to back

While he has been signed as an ‘edge’ forward, Hacjivah Dayimani could...

Boks have muscle memory to rely on

Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber are experts at finding solutions to tricky...

Top six: Best and worst foreign imports

SARugbymag.co.za identifies six of the best and worst foreign players to play...

Column: When context is needed

As highlighted by the Argentina controversy, ‘cancel culture’ needs a spoonful of...

Dark cloud hangs over WP Rugby

The problems at Western Province Rugby are layered, and everyone involved needs...

From the mag: Foreign Favourites

As Vodacom Super Rugby turned 25 this year, JON CARDINELLI picks an...

Bulls rookies to watch

After a massive exodus of players the Vodacom Bulls will be eager...

Analysis: The new suffocate-and-strangle game

For the Boks to emerge as World Cup winners, they need to...

VIEW MORE
  • Team graphics: Springboks vs B&I Lions
  • Boks vs Lions (1st Test): Predict and WIN!
  • Lions team announcement: Duhan to front Boks
  • Teams: SA A vs Bulls
Boks

Why the Boks should be bullish

There is good reason for the Springboks to enter the British & Irish Lions series with confidence, writes MARK KEOHANE in the latest SA Rugby magazine.

  • Watch: Did Gatland’s words influence Jonker?


COVID-19 Corona Virus
South African Resource Portal

ABOUT

  • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Videos
  • Player Features
  • Subscribe
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy Policy

TOURNAMENTS

    • Rugby Championship
    • Super Rugby
    • Currie Cup
    • Varsity Cup
    • Gold Cup
    • Schools
    • Six Nations
    • Champions Cup
    • World Cup

OPINION

  • Mallett on SuperSport
  • Cardinelli column
  • Lewis column
  • Xabanisa column
  • Borchardt column
  • Superbru

Primary Menu

  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • British & Irish Lions
  • Videos
  • Supabets
  • Cars
    • Motoring News
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Daddy’s Deals
×