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Mountain to climb at Loftus

The odds look pretty heavily stacked against the Stormers notching their first away win of the season at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

With injuries forcing a staggering 12 changes to the side that beat the Highlanders at Newlands last week and a desperate Bulls side waiting for them up in Pretoria it was tough for Stormers coach Allister Coetzee to put a positive spin on the situation.

"It has been a challenging and tough week for us, but there is one thing about the Stormers culture and team is that we survived this week.

"We have trained well and we see this as a massive opportunity first of all for youngsters to go to Loftus for their first time and earn respect when they perform, to be measured against one of the toughest sides at one of the toughest venues," he said.

Captain Schalk Burger admitted that his side are right up against it, especially given the Bulls' impressive record at home and their outside shot of making the play-offs.

"Obviously when you have got a lot of changes in your team it is not the ideal preparation because a lot of your energy goes into detail work with the new players, so this week has been pretty full-on with a lot of attention to detail.

"Up in Pretoria they have got a phenomenal record, it is really a fortress and this year we haven't had any success away from home so we would like to change that but it is a big ask," he said.

Last week's bonus-point win over the Highlanders was cause for optimism in Cape Town, but this week they seem almost to be starting from scratch as they look to back that up on the road and build some momentum.

"We have battled this season and we have tried our best, I think last weekend was a much improved performance and we got a victory but this weekend we want to take it a step further.

"In saying that we are coming up against quality opposition so I think the focus should stay on us and the way we want to play this weekend," said Burger.

The experienced Springbok flank said that if his side is to upset the Bulls they will have to be more consistent than they have previously this season which has seen them drift in and out of games.

"If you look at our games we have won we have played well and reached a certain level, but we have been unable to sustain that level for a long period of time.

"This weekend to get a positive result we will have to reach a high level and try and maintain that for as long as possible because if the Bulls get a bit of a roll on they are a side that can put up 20 points in no time," he said.

By Michael de Vries

 

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