Stormers need to back it up

 

The Cape side started their season with an impressive 29-17 victory over the Bulls, but they are aware that it will not count for much if they cannot back it up against the Blues at Newlands in Round Two.

 

Coach Allister Coetzee said that although he was happy with his team's performance, they cannot afford to take anything for granted after one good win at the start of the season.

 

"It is a very good start for us, and I still maintain that it is never easy to come here [Loftus Versfeld] and win.

 

"While it is a great start, one must try keep your feet on the ground and draw confidence from the performance.

 

"It is the first game of the competition, so we are not going to get carried away by this, we have the Blues next week at home so we have to start all over again," he said.

 

Captain Duane Vermeulen pointed out that the more expansive Blues will pose a completely different set of threats to the Bulls, which they will have to adapt to along with the pressure of playing at home.

 

"It is a good start, and you can take some positives out of it, but the games is finished and it is in the past. You have got to focus on the next game which is the Bues who bring different challenges.

 

"We have to go back and prepare for the Blues, they have got a very different game style to the Bulls and we need to work on our own game to think about and work on as well," he said.

 

Coetzee said that he was particularly impressed with the composure his side showed against the Bulls, but added that it was by no means a complete performance.

 

"I haven't seen a Stormers team as clinical in the last 15 minutes as that.

 

"I am really proud of the way we defended, the Bulls have got some big ball-carriers and there was a big question mark about our physicality coming up to Loftus, but the players really put their bodies on the line.

 

"Work-ons are definitely the discipline in the second half which allowed the Bulls back, silly mistakes like conceding unnecessary penalties. That is one area that we have got to make sure that we brush up on.

 

"It was a difficult evening with the humidity and we probably tried too much at times. If you have a penalty advantage at Loftus then you take the points, and we did play on so we spoke to the halfbacks about that.

 

"We would have loved to have scored one or two more tries, and we had some opportunities but hopefully it can happen in the next game," said Coetzee.