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Stormers 2019 Super Rugby champs?

Stormers 2019 Super Rugby champs?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: In his fourth year at the helm, Stormers head coach Robbie Fleck is not shy to say his side could be crowned Super Rugby champions in 2019.

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Fleck, who took over the reins in 2016, believes his side have enough quality and experience in the system to win the Super Rugby title.

Reaching massive success in the provincial Currie Cup competitions under head coach John Dobson, in contrast, the Stormers oozing with talent like Damian Willemse, Scarra Ntubeni, Sikhumbuzo Notshe and SA Rugby player of the ear Pieter-Steph du Toit, struggled to reach their full potential on the Super Rugby stage.

Last year the side barely managed to hold onto fourth place in the South African conference and failed to reach the play-off phase.

Similar to the 2018 season, the Stormers already sit with big injury concerns as they head into the Bulls clash without three key Springboks. Prop Steven Kitshoff will be sidelined for four to six weeks, Eben Etzebeth and Frans Malherbe will miss the trip to Loftus, while 2018 Currie Cup player of the year Sergeal Petersen is also on the sidelines.

Unlike last year, Fleck revealed that there are ‘no excuses’ as they prepare to take on a Bok-laden Bulls team on Saturday.

“As a group, we decided four years ago that this is going to be our year and we don’t mind saying that,” Fleck told reporters at Newlands.

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“We are over the processes now and it’s all about delivering.

“We’ve grown the squad over the four years, lost one or two players along the way, but there are a lot of guys who have come right through from the WP Institute to the WP U21 side, to the Currie Cup side, to the Stormers side. They’ve come a long way as a group.

“Last year was a bit of a hiccup. We obviously wanted to be better but we pouring everything into this year and making no excuses,”

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Despite the massive pressure of having to deliver Stormers’ first Super Rugby title, the mentor, whose contract is coming to an end in October, revealed there is no pressure resting on his shoulders.

“There is no pressure on my shoulders this year. This is the last year of my contract, it ends on October 31.

“Regardless of what happens, we will give everything. If the team performs well, that means I perform well and we will see what happens after that,”

By Leezil Hendricks
@leezil07
@rugby365com

 

 

 

 

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