Coetzee demands 'midfield bravery'
The nature of the beast may dictate that Stormers coach Allister Coetzee will opt for bravery over skill when they head to Pretoria this week.
The Stormers will take on the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday in the opening round of the Super Rugby season and there will be an intriguing and spicy sideshow to this big north-south derby.
Two Springbok brutes – Jan Serfontein and Damien de Allende – could go head-to-head in a colossal midfield battle.
De Allende, who suffered a minor quadriceps tear against the SWD Eagles in the Stormers' first pre-season outing in two weeks ago, has been cleared and available for selection ahead of the trip up north.
Despite having "very limited" options at wing & fullback – the result of injuries to Kobus van Wyk (calf strain) and Jaco Taute (knee), Coetzee may opt to keep De Allende in midfield.
"We did play Huw Jones a bit in the pre-season at wing," the Stormers coach told a media briefing.
"Even a player like Johnny Kotze you could utilise there and EW Viljoen has also played there. And Dillyn Leyds can also move to the wing."
However, it will require some brute force to stop those rampaging Bulls.
"What you need against the Bulls may not necessary be experience, but someone that's brave, someone that's physical," Coetzee told the media gathering.
"You must be able to handle the collisions – that is what you need at centre.
"
If it is a guy who is up-and-down, perhaps doesn't have a lot of skill, but he is strong in the channel he could be your man.
"There is no hiding away from it, Jan Serfontein will be running at that channel and the big forwards will be coming down that channel.
"That is what I mean by the type of player, the profile of the player [in midfield]."
Line-outs, where veteran Bok lock Victor Matfield could feature prominently, is another aspect of the game where the visitors could expect the heat to be turned up on them.
That is why young Ruan Botha, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury sustained in the Currie Cup competition last year, could be rushed straight into the starting XV – despite getting no game time in the pre-season.
"We are looking at a 90 percent plus line-out success rate – it doesn't matter who we play,"Coetzee said, when asked about his expectations of the set-piece department.
"[With the Bulls] it is always a contest there,"he said, adding: "With Victor [Matfield] back it will be even more [of a contest].
"However, we have some good options and we are confident about our line-outs.
"I am really happy to start Ruan straight away – it is just a matter of how long I want to play him. There is sufficient cover off the bench – you just have to get the mix and balance right."
Making life easier for Coetzee is the fact that he does have versatility among his forwards – with Michael Rhodes having played almost as much at lock as he has at blindside flank.
It could see Rhodes move from flank to lock in the second half, after Botha has made his contribution.
With Nizaam Carr also fit to play against the Bulls, Coetzee could look at the new Bok sensation to come off the bench and deliver the impact that could upstage the men from Pretoria.
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