Stormers not a championship team yet
Stormers’ captain Jean de Villiers was very happy that his team’s plan had come together to enable them to achieve their fiercely contested 20-17 win over the Bulls at Newlands on Saturday.
The penalty goal kicked by Peter Grant to win the game had been awarded at a scrum at which he had made the team call for the forwards to try to gain a penalty.
“We actually went into that scrum saying we were going to have a go and try to get the penalty,” De Villiers said after the game.
“As a captain to go in with the mindset of trying to achieve something and then the guys doing exactly that and getting the result that we wanted was great.”
And in reference to his faith in Grant’s big match temperament, De Villiers added: “And obviously I had no doubt that Bash would slot that one.”
A very tough four-game tour lay ahead and there was plenty of room for improvement. The skipper emphasised that the players were focused on constant improvement as a team.
“We said beforehand we want this momentum going into the tour, but we also said no matter the result, we want to be improving as a team and I thought we did improve tonight [Saturday].
“Yes, we still made mistakes, and yes, we still let them back into the game, but I think we’re on an upward curve and that’s very pleasing.
“Hopefully we can take this momentum into a very tough tour.”
The Stormers are the only unbeaten team in the competition but there would be no complacency among the players.
De Villiers explained: “We can still improve a lot as a team. We’re far off from being the quality side, championship side we want to be. There’s a lot of place for improvement but we’re happy where we’re at and we’re improving every single week so we’ll take that.”
Asked if there was still something missing from the backline’s attacking play, De Villiers answered: “I don’t think there’s anything missing. We want to be winning and we want to do what’s best for the team and I thought we did do that.
“Yes, it was a little bit more direct and we were taking on the advantage line, but it’s working for us and we’re winning games.
“We’re not scoring four tries but we’re winning, and I’d much rather take that than scoring four tries and losing.”
The veteran Springbok centre was happy for his team-mates, saying: “I thought Juan de Jongh had an fantastic game. I thought he was absolutely great out there. And for Gio [Aplon] to get a win against the Bulls in his 50th game was fantastic.”
Man of the Match, Stormers’ hooker Tiaan Liebenberg, was also very pleased with the team’s progress and prospects.
“We had a plan and that was to build an innings,” said Liebenberg. “The Bulls are a very good team, a physical team, and you’re never really going to be superior. It just goes better for you on the day.”
Asked about the contribution of the Stormers’ group of young prodigies in the pack, Liebenberg commented: “The youngsters are incredibly talented and the secret is that they don’t know how good they are, and that’s the right place to be as a young rugby player.
“To play in this pack of forwards is a great privilege. It’s not every day that you play in a pack with the talent that these players have.”
He concluded: “We’re not where we want to be yet, but we work really hard every week and concentrate on the things we can control. These young forwards can go a long way.”
by Len Kaplan at Newlands
