Stormers: Attitude won the day
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee praised his side's incredible attitude after they coasted to a 28-3 win over the Cheetahs in Cape Town at the weekend.
The Stormers were done by a last-ditch penalty in Bloemfontein earlier in the season and this time around they made sure that the game was not going to get to that stage as they dominated the majority of the game.
Coach Coetzee mentioned the basics of his side and how those were vital in them gaining the momentum that would lead to a number of well-worked tries.
"Definitely a good win for us and I am really proud of the captain and the team. I think what one must really put in context is how this team performed with the amount of players still on the injury list.
"I think our basics were outstanding and it is not easy to beat a quality Cheetahs side – one of the best attacking sides in the competition, and to keep them scoreless. It is all credit to the team," Coetzee added.
The work that has been put in by the Stormers players in the past few weeks has paid off and Coetzee was pleased with his sides use and retention of the ball.
"We settled well and respected the ball and that shows. If you hold onto the ball and get your set-pieces – your line-outs, your scrums – you get close to scoring your four tries but we were really clinical.
"The most rewarding this is working hard and taking it into the game and you get it right there. It means that the two weeks was not a waste and the players realised that," Coetzee mentioned.
The Stormers missed out on a vital bonus point right at the end of the game which all but seals their fait but they will still hope that if they can win their next two games and hope for a couple of results to go their way might see them sneak into the play-offs.
The Stormers loose forwards came up against one of the better loose trios in the country and they stood up and really put the more fancied Cheetahs loose forwards under pressure.
"The loose trio combination was in sync and played really well.
"The maul try we scored before half-time gave the side a lot of confidence and Siya [Kolisi] carried well and it is the best I have seen him carry the ball and he defended well," said Coetzee.
By Nick Tatham
