Stormers rely on 'area leaders'
The defensive presence of Duane Vermeulen will be sorely missed by the Stormers but fellow loose forward Siya Kolisi believes the various "area leaders" will be at their best to take control of any given situation.
Kolisi, who celebrates his 24th birthday on Tuesday (June 16), stated that it is not ideal to place the responsibility on one specific player but that the various leaders are the ones who will set the tone for the rest of the team to follow.
"We have leaders for different areas of the game and whoever is leading in that area [of the field] needs to make a difference.
"We don't like to put pressure on a single player – so we believe whoever gets the first opportunity, should be the one to make the big hits. With that said though, I am usually the first one doing that, so most likely, I set the tone," he said.
A key aspect of that defensive effort will be to nullify the attacking threat of the Brumbies' rolling maul, which has seen them bulldoze many a defence on their way to racking up tries and the Stormers are well aware that they need to step-up this aspect of their defensive efforts.
"We have seen how many tries they [Brumbies] have scored from mauls and it's going to be a vital area in the game and an area where we really need to improve because we have leaked a few tries from that situation.
"So we have placed focus on that area of our game, we just need to keep working on it and expect it [mauls] throughout the game," he added.
Vermeulen's presence may be missed but Kolisi believes Nizaam Carr has proven himself to be a worthy No.8 in his own right and that the rest of the loose forwards can up their physicality when needed.
"Duane is a world class player and we will definitely miss him because he makes a huge difference but at the same time, we have all seen what Nizaam [Carr] can do and what we, as loose forwards, without him [Duane].
"We needed physicality against the Waratahs and we brought it when it was needed, even though Duane was not playing. It's going to be pretty tough without him but we are going to have to be at our best and I think we will be," he stated.
With the prospect of going up against David Pocock at the breakdowns, it would be easy to focus on your opponent and try to nullify him, however, Kolisi is fully focused on his duty.
"It's always a big battle when you play against international loose forwards, no matter who it is. I can't focus on him though and to be honest, I have to focus on my job and what I must do as a 'loosie'. I just have to make sure we get ball at the first breakdown rather than focusing on one player, because that means we forgetting about the others around him – like Stephen Moore who is also really good at stealing the ball.
"Our focus is to be physical and stop their [attacking] momentum and if the opportunity is there for me to steal the ball, I will do that and the same goes for everyone in the team. Duane was vital for us because he was selective about when he chose to steal ball at the breakdown and when to hold back and we know he is one of the best in the world at doing it," he said.
By Tauriq Ebrahim
@Tagels03
@rugby365com
