Stormers v Glasgow: Key battles in top-of-the-log blockbuster

OPINION: The Stormers and Glasgow Warriors will both be out for redemption in their Round 16 United Rugby Championship clash at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

The Stormers were at the wrong end of an upset at home against Connacht in Round 15, losing 24-33.

Glasgow, on the other hand, suffered a 12-54 beating against the Lions in Johannesburg.

The defeats saw Glasgow hold onto their top spot, while the Stormers, who didn’t get a single point from their fixture against the Irish outfit, remained in second place.

With only three rounds remaining and just four points separating the two sides, we look at five areas that will be crucial in determining the result in the top-of-the-log encounter.

The Scrum

It’s not often that the scrum can be listed as a work-on for the Stormers, but following their last game, it’s certainly an area they’ll be aiming to perfect.

Against Connacht, the home team had it a bit tough against the visitors at times, early on especially, and while it was by no means a mediocre scrummaging display as they got stronger and managed to produce a few strong ones, getting it right from the get-go will be the objective going into the weekend.

It will be a common goal on Saturday afternoon as Glasgow had their fair share of struggles at scrum time, with Rory Sutherland coming second by a mile against the Lions’ Asenathi Ntlabakanye at Ellis Park.

The Line-out

The Stormers suffered a devastating blow in the build-up to the match, with star lock JD Schickerling suffering a knee injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the URC.

The timing of the injury is particularly cruel given the importance of the remaining games in locking down home play-off berths, and with the quality of rugby Schickerling has been playing – with his immense authority at the line-out and the overall physicality he brought – it’s a loss the Stormers will certainly feel, although Ruben van Heerden is a capable reinforcement, with Connor Evans also in the mix.

But there will be no time to lament the injury.

Given all the struggles Glasgow had against the scintillating Lions, the line-out wasn’t one of them as Franco Smith’s team had a 100 percent success rate with their 12 throw-ins at the set-piece. They didn’t manage to convert that into points, however.

The line-out can be a massive platform for these two attack-hungry teams, and not only in terms of what clean ball can do for structured attack; contesting opposition ball can also create the kind of counter-attacking opportunities both teams would salivate at.

Tidiness on attack

This is an area where both teams need to do better.

The Stormers’ last 15 minutes against Connacht were brutal, but there were lapses in attack throughout the game.

The fact that they had 64 percent of the possession in the last 10 minutes speaks to the opportunities they had and wasted, with simple errors and too many haphazard passes in prime attacking areas costing them. That intercept that led to a try in the 77th minute was criminal.

Glasgow failed to build any tempo or momentum on attack and were well disrupted by the Lions. Ambition is nothing without execution.

If these teams get it right this weekend, it will be a mouthwatering encounter given both sides’ attacking arsenal and what they are capable of when they switch things on.

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The Breakdown Battle

When Glasgow are at their best, disrupting their breakdown is one way to hinder their potency, and it’s one thing the Stormers can use to their advantage against what is expected to be a strong Glasgow side.

Whether it’s Paul de Villiers or Deon Fourie, the Stormers certainly have the means to ensure that the opposition doesn’t use the contest on the ground to unsettle them.

The breakdown is always a key battle, and between two teams that can use that momentum to dangerous effect, it’ll be crucial.

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Discipline

The Stormers’ previous performance was marred by errors, and at times it was visible how Connacht got into their heads as the frustration built. Still, they cannot allow such influences at this stage of the tournament.

Penalties were a standout feature in Glasgow’s outing against Ivan van Rooyen’s group, and while it wasn’t exactly a whistle fest on the Stormers’ part, every penalty will count in a game of this magnitude.

A card can easily dictate the course of the game, and it would be a pity if it had to come to that.

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