They have a big pack. Ask anyone in the rugby business about the Sale Sharks and that’s the answer you will get, with the English team heading to Cape Town for Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup showdown with the DHL Stormers with several beefy South African ball carriers in tow.
Former national age-group captain and Stormers utility forward Ernst van Rhyn is one of those. The two Springbok capped Du Preez twins, Jean-Luc and Dan, are also there. So is England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, who many consider to be a better player than the England captain, Jamie George.
Add to that the physical approach of a side that also includes the apparently much improved Ben Curry, and it amounts to a good challenge to a Stormers pack that has pretty much outplayed all comers in the last few months.
Yes, that includes the Bok laden Hollywoodbets Sharks forward unit. The Stormers lost in Durban at the end of November and squeaked to a narrow win in the more recent Vodacom United Rugby Championship coastal derby in Cape Town, but in both games they got the better of their opponents in the battle up front.
“We have been working really hard at key aspects of our forward game and it is starting to pay off,” said No 8 Marcel Theunissen in looking ahead to Saturday’s clash with the English version of the Sharks.
“Every Wednesday we work really hard on our mauling and on our scrums. Our scrum has been functioning well, and I thought the maul that won us the game against the Sharks last time we played was excellent and really good for our confidence.
"We also scored really good maul tries against Toulon (in the Champions Cup) and against the Lions (in the URC).”
'EVERYONE MUST PITCH UP MENTALLY'
They did indeed, but Theunissen is aware that he and his teammates are up against a team at the weekend that also prides itself on the ability of the big men to carry the ball and also bring the necessary physicality.
“Against Sale you mustn’t let them dominate and the we have trained this week has been aimed at everyone knowing they must pitch up mentally on Saturday ready to be physical and to dominate up front. We need to be ready for what is coming at us, and give it back to them,” said the Stormers loose-forward.
Defence coach Norman Laker has as usual been spending his down time obsessing over the game strategies of his team’s next opponents and is in accord with Theunissen.
“They do have a very big pack and they have good, dynamic ball carriers,” said Laker.
“Of course we know the Du Preez brothers well, also Ben Curry and Ernst, two more players that do a carrying role for them. They are extremely physical so you have to make sure you match them physically. If they don’t do that they will beat you.
“But they are not just about carrying the ball at the opposition (and getting through with force), they are also good at beating you individually. They can get in a few off-loads and beat you that way. I am not sure if (England flyhalf) George Ford is playing because he was injured recently, but they have Rob du Preez, who used to play for us, at the back. He can play 10, 12 and 13.”
PLEASING THE FAITHFUL
Outside centre is Du Preez’s usual position these days and that’s where he is likely to face the Stormers, who perhaps consider his new position as a bit incongruous as Du Preez is far from the quickest player playing the game. It will be interesting to see on Saturday if that is something the Stormers will look to exploit as they continue to evolve their attacking game.
“Everyone knows that the Stormers like to play running rugby to please the faithful, and we are also not giving away too many tries, and we can build some confidence out of that,” said Theunissen.
“The previous two wins (in the URC) have given us confidence. There were a lot of positives to be taken out of those two games, we felt we played good Stormers rugby.
"We feel we are back to being a winning side again, like we used to be, and we are taking that confidence into this game.”
The Stormers need to win, and probably with a try scoring bonus point, or they will be missing the round of 16 phase for the first time in three seasons of participation in the Champions Cup, but Laker did not take the bait when he was asked if the DHL Stadium clash was a knock-out game for his team.
“In this competition every game is effectively a playoff, so it is important to get a win. We will try our best and do our best, we know it is a quite important game in this competition,” said the defence coach.