Only upside for Stormers
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Having named a second-string team to face the Sharks, the Stormers have everything to gain in Durban this weekend.
With Willem Alberts and Jannie and Bismarck du Plessis saying farewell the Sharks have named a strong team, and they are widely expected to have an armchair ride against a Stormers side featuring 14 changes from the team that faced the Lions last week.
Coach Allister Coetzee has taken the opportunity to rest his frontline players with the South African conference already wrapped up and their chances of securing a home semifinal out of their hands.
He did exactly the same thing in the Currie Cup last year, losing 28-20 to the Sharks in their final league game at Newlands before going on to take the title, and he insists that his selection does not mean that they will be taking this game lightly.
"We think that this is something that we can do, but it is not about disrespecting anything, it is about our campaign, giving our players an opportunity.
"If we have the luxury to do it I don't think we should feel guilty about it, we are trying to set ourselves up for a quarterfinal and who knows maybe a semifinal and give ourselves the best possible chance to win that.
"I know there will be a lot of emotion in this game, the Sharks have selected a great side, but we have got our own motivation – we know what is coming and we know what is expected," he said.
Some may fear the danger of surrendering momentum heading into the knock-out phase, but for Coetzee the chance to ensure his best players are fresh for the play-offs and give some fringe players a chance to prove themselves against a full-strength Sharks team was too good to pass up.
Although it is nearly a completely new team, players like Vincent Koch, Ruan Botha, Michael Rhodes and Louis Schreuder will have the chance to show that they should be first-choice in the play-offs.
"The cohesion of this team is definitely going to be a challenge, but if you look at the majority of them have been involved in Super Rugby this season.
"There are players here who are pushing for a starting position in the quarterfinal, it is a great opportunity and we want to make sure that we build an innings first and then capitalise on our opportunities.
"It is going to be a challenge under pressure against a quality side like the Sharks, but I am not nervous.
"It is not that these guys have a point to prove, but they have got to put their hands up if they want to come into the reckoning for selection going forward.
"This game is still important, but I am excited to see how some of these guys go," said Coetzee.
The Stormers coach said that they will not change their approach in any way, and the key will be how the fringe players are able to fit into their patterns and gameplan under pressure at Kings Park.
"This team won't play any differently to what we have been working on throughout the year, we are still striving for a balanced approach.
"You must be careful not to fall into the trap of making things too loose, Super Rugby is never played like that, whether it is your last game or if you have got nothing to play for.
"It is going to be a battle at the gainline and in the set-pieces, and we have got to try and take our opportunities when they are presented to us.
"I just want us to execute better, when we get those linebreaks then we must finish them, we have left a lot of tries out there.
"I would like to see our fundamentals done right and an improvement in our execution. It is not going to be easy, although there is no pressure on us," added Coetzee.
By Michael de Vries
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