Stormers wary of Faf factor

Assistant coach Helmut Lehmann and back Suleiman Hartzenberg have acknowledged the threat of Springbok Faf de Klerk when the Stormers XXIII and Cheetahs clash on Sunday.

The Stormers bounced back to winning ways in the Currie Cup last week with a bonus-point triumph over the Sharks XV, and moved up to fifth on the log. The third-placed Cheetahs lost their first game of the campaign against defending champions Griquas.

Speaking on Tuesday ahead of this week’s game at Athlone Stadium, Lehmann noted the Cheetahs’ experienced pack and attacking game with De Klerk – who was Man of the Match in the Free Staters’ round two win over the Pumas – and flyhalf Jaco van der Walt on deck. betsport.cv

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“They’ve got a very mature pack. With the coaching staff there and the way that they prepare, they put teams under pressure, in the lineouts, scrums and mauls,” the forwards coach said.

“Carl Wegner, Victor Sekekete, Aranos Coetzee, Marko Janse van Rensburg, those guys are seasoned campaigners. That’s where the game will be won or lost in terms of momentum.”

“They also like to give the ball some air with Faf being there now,” Lehmann added. “The kicking game that they possess with Jaco and Faf, there’s threats all around.

“We need to be dialled in, and we also have to keep the weather in mind.”

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Hartzenberg, who made his return from a long-term injury last week, is bracing for an aerial battle against two-time World Cup winner De Klerk.

“We know Faf is an experienced campaigner – he’s a World Cup winner,” he said. “He’s going to try and put us in corners, and also kick the ball back.

“They also like playing it wide so we’ll see how everything plans out. It’s just prepping as if I’m getting contestables, and making sure that you’re good under the high ball … all scenarios.”

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With John Dobson’s Stormers side also preparing to face the All Blacks at Cape Town Stadium on Friday, Lehmann highlighted how the two camps have been training alongside each other this week.

“We are sharing the same place every day at the HPC, and there is excitement on the Currie Cup side … getting into this New Zealand-Stormers match week.

“There is just a buzz around the coaches and players. You can say that the Cheetahs sometimes can play a lot like the All Blacks, so we are giving them good pictures.”

Photo: Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images

The post Stormers wary of Faf factor appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

New Zealand legend Zinzan Brooke says the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series could hinge on just one moment in a match, such as his famous 1996 drop goal at Loftus Versfeld.

Brooke, who played in the All Blacks’ 1996 series victory over the Springboks in South Africa, was speaking in a wide-ranging interview with RugbyPass ahead of an epic eight matches between the world’s top two teams.

The former No 8 produced one of the great highlights of that tour, landing a long-range drop goal in the second Test in Pretoria as the Kiwis secured a 2-1 series win.

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“There wasn’t a prearranged call, just me shouting louder and louder ‘Marshy, Marshy, Marshy [scrumhalf Justin Marshall] and he gave me the ball,” the 58-cap Brooke said.

“[Centre] Frank Bunce got us over the advantage line and I looked at the clock with less than 10 minutes left and I thought if I get this drop goal we would be seven points ahead. I knew I could kick it, and job done.”

He believes those actions could again prove decisive when the All Blacks face the Boks across four Tests, with the tour starting against the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday before clashes with the Sharks, Vodacom Bulls and Lions.

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“It is feasible for the All Blacks to win the series but it comes back to that first Test which is absolutely critical,” the 61-year-old said.

“The Springboks have set a benchmark and it’s all about knocking them off and if you create the opportunity to kick a drop goal then you have to take it.”

Brooke also warned the All Blacks must manage the demands of an eight-match tour with a 44-man squad.

“My major concern is that with 44 players in the squad you are going to have to ensure there is friendship and camaraderie created so that there is a real bond.”

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Photo: Simon Baker/Getty Images

The post Zinzan on how All Blacks can beat Boks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

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