Stormers struggling to overcome mediocrity
SUPER RUGBY SPOTLIGHT: The Stormers might need a miracle if they are to turn their season around after a string of poor performances.
Robbie Fleck’s side suffered their third straight defeat on tour when they went down 12-24 to the Reds. It was another dreadful performance by the men from Cape Town and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.
The Stormers seem to be lacking strong leadership on and off the field, which has been the case for the last few seasons.
The coaches have certainly had their fair share of criticism for their game plan over the last few weeks, but some the players seem to be failing at just doing the basics on the field.
That includes a few Springboks, like captain Siya Kolisi, who has been an inconsistent performer.
With Kolisi being rested this week, the Stormers will head into Friday’s clash against the Melbourne Rebels with a new captain, but are there any worthy contenders?
Stormers assistant coach Paul Feeney seems to think so.
“We still got experience with [Steven] Kitshoff, Bongi [Mbonambi] and [Frans] Malherbe,” said Feeney.
“Through the locks and loosies we are lacking a bit of experience, but up front there are still some good leaders and in the backs with Damian de Allende and Jean-Luc, who has got a very good brain on him as well.
“Dillyn Leyds has captained at Currie Cup level, so we still got experience scattered around amongst some of these young players.”
The rub of the green
The Stormers are currently sitting at the bottom of the South African conference with three wins from seven games, but Feeney believes things can change if they get a bit of “luck” on their side.
“In all three games on tour we have been in it [with a chance to win] during the last five minutes, but there were a few missed opportunities and our execution needs to get better.
“It would be nice to get a little bit of the rub of the green one day. It is not an excuse but sometimes you need a bit of that.
“This week we are just going to work on a few things and try to execute a bit better.”
Feeney added: “Sometimes a team just needs that little bit of luck somewhere and then their confidence grows out of that.
“We are looking to finish strong on this tour. There is no reason why we can’t beat the Rebels on Friday.
“If we can get four wins out of eight games and head back with six of our last eight games at home then we are in the hunt [for the play-offs], especially when you look at our conference at the moment.
“Everyone is knocking over everyone, it is very tight.”
By Warren Fortune
@FortuneWarren
@rugby365com
