Stormers' plan to 'align' Super Rugby season
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Stormers will play three warm-up games in preparation for the 2019 Super Rugby season.
Apart from their clash with the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium on SuperHero Sunday, February 3, the Stormers will also take on a Combined Club XV, which will give club players a chance to push for selection in the Western Province SuperSport Rugby Challenge team, and provincial outfit Boland on either side of that match.
The first pre-season fixture will see the Stormers play two opposed chukkas against a Combined Club XV made up of top local non-University club talent and then two opposed chukkas against False Bay RFC at Philip Herbstein fields in Constantia on Saturday, January 26.
That will be followed by their clash against the Bulls as part of the SuperHero doubleheader the following Sunday, February 3, which will also see the Stormers wear their Marvel Thor SuperHero kit for the first time.
The final warm-up game will see the Stormers take on Boland at Boland Stadium in Wellington on Friday, February 8 ahead of their opening Vodacom Super Rugby game against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld the following weekend.
The Stormers had their training camp in Hermanus last week, which saw them set the foundation for the 2019 Super Rugby campaign, before their attention turns to the pre-season fixtures.
Head Coach Robbie Fleck said that the next few weeks will be crucial for his side to come together and ensure they are ready to go when the season kicks off against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on February 16.
“It was vital for us to have that time on camp to align ourselves as a team before the warm-up games.
“With three consecutive pre-season games ahead of our first fixture, we will hopefully be able to ensure that our players get the necessary gametime to make a convincing start to the season,” he said.
Stormers 2019 pre-season fixtures:
Saturday, January 26
Stormers v Combined Club XV & False Bay RFC (Philip Herbstein)
Sunday, February 3
Stormers v Bulls (Cape Town Stadium)
Friday, February 8
Stormers v Boland (Boland Stadium, Wellington)
The DHL Stormers will bring the thunder in their Thor jerseys this season. Make sure you get down to Cape Town Stadium for #SuperSunday February 3 when it will be hammer time in a pre-season game against Vodacom Bulls. #iamastormer #stormisbrewing #Thor #hammertime ⛈️🔨 pic.twitter.com/WvVbLhKOpI
— DHL STORMERS (@THESTORMERS) January 15, 2019
