Stormers lack killer instinct
OPINION: Can the Stormers find their killer instinct in the play-offs and beat either Leinster or Glasgow away from home if they overcome Cardiff in the quarterfinal?
The Stormers’ inability to convert match-winning opportunities into points has been a thorn in their side this season.
The Capetonians appeared to be South Africa’s best bet for United Rugby Championship glory this season.
However, their record of two defeats, a draw and a win in their last four outings doesn’t exactly scream ‘championship material’.
And it’s not just those last four matches one has to go back to.
Defeat in sport is inevitable, but championship teams ensure they take something away from a match that will help them come the end of the regular season.
In their three defeats to local rivals earlier in the season against the Sharks (twice) and the Lions, the Stormers failed to take away a single log point.
In contrast, teams like Glasgow or Leinster would’ve recorded at least one (log point) by means of losing within seven points or scoring four tries.
The same happened against Connacht, although one can sympathise with the team given the emotional circumstances surrounding it with the passing of long-standing team manager Chippie Solomon.
In that Connacht clash, the Stormers let the lead slip and couldn’t capitalise on their attacking opportunities to pull it back.
And in the end, an intercepted Stefan Ungerer pass took away any chance of collecting any log points at home.
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Against Ulster, the Capetonians could’ve made life tough for the hosts had they not squandered two tries centimetres from the line due to poor execution and ill-discipline before halftime.
That kept Ulster in the match, and the same can be said towards the latter part of the match when they squandered a seven-point lead once more and were in many respects lucky to secure a draw.
The same pattern emerged against Cardiff this past weekend – wasted opportunity after wasted opportunity.
Those final two games on tour were there for the taking, and nine points would’ve secured a top-of-the-table finish.
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And this is all because the Stormers don’t possess a killer instinct.
This was evident even in their Champions Cup Round of 16 clash against Toulon, where they had a two-man overlap and decided to pick and drive. Why?
As much as there was debate around the officiating in that clash, the Stormers blew that opportunity out wide, and that trend never seemed to stop.
The Stormers can do the unthinkable and go all the way if their behaviour changes.
They have all the player resources and quality to defeat any team.
But if they keep on this self-destructive trend, we will see a promising campaign go up in flames due to an inability to finish off try-scoring opportunities.
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