VIDEO: Stormers to take their own brand of sunshine to wet Loftus
Despite facing a ‘different beast’ in the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld and the likelihood of some very testing conditions, the Stormers are not about to change the script.
Stormers defence coach Norman Laker said they are not going to change their approach, despite the ongoing heavy precipitation in Pretoria and heavy underfoot conditions at Loftus Versfeld.
A national state of disaster has been declared in seven of South Africa’s nine provinces, following widespread flooding – including Gauteng.
The Bulls this week spoke of the challenge of ‘training’ in the wet and heavy underfoot conditions – in the build-up to Saturday’s big North-South derby.
“We have made the mistake in the past to prepare for specific weather conditions, only to find it is completely different on matchday,” Laker told @rugby365com.
“We are preparing like we normally prepare for a game,” he said, adding that their game is suited to any type of weather.
He pointed to their experiences of playing in atrocious conditions in Europe – including a 5-35 loss to Ulster a Ravenhill last time out, a 17-24 loss to the Warriors in Glasgow in January and a 24-30 loss to Cardiff.
“We are preparing to be the best-prepared team on the field on Saturday,” the defence guru said.
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Laker played down the Stormers’ favourites tag, labelling the Bulls as a “quality” side.
“They are a real force when it comes to Loftus,” he said, adding: “They have done very well the past few years under [Director of Rugby] Jake [White] at Loftus.
“They had an unfortunate run with one or two of their away games, but at Loftus, they are a different beast – very physical.
“We will respect them for who they are.”
The Stormers, the defending champions, trail Irish giant Leinster by 11 points – sitting in second place on the URC standings.
While the Stormers are determined to cement their spot at the top of the South African conference, Saturday’s Loftus face-off is just as important to the fourth-placed Bulls.
Saturday’s game may well be a South African conference decider, should the Stormers win – a result that would put them 14 or 15 points clear with just four games to play.
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