The DHL Stormers left Cape Town nine days ago aiming for a top place finish on the Vodacom URC log but have now made peace with the probability that the highest they can manage is now second place.
The dropped to second from first last week when they 38-all with Ulster on the same night that Glasgow Warriors beat Cardiff 40-17 to lift themselves into pole position.
With just one point separating the teams the Stormers can still make it a top spot finish for the first time in their URC history if they beat Cardiff on Friday night and Glasgow come short on their own trip to Ulster - but Stormers coach John Dobson admitted in the team announcement press conference on Thursday that he and his team don’t expect the latter part of that to happen.
“We had a chat with the Ulster guys after our game last week and they told us that because of their focus on their EPCR Challenge Cup final against Montpellier, which takes place the following week, they had focused on winning our game and were intending fielding academy players against Glasgow,” said Dobson.
“It would be great if it did happen, a real bonus for us, but we are not expecting any help from Ulster on Friday night. We are going all out to finish second, which would mean we host a semifinal if we get there and then who knows what happens (on the other side of the draw).”
Dobson is right to be philosophical about his team’s chances of still making a final while not finishing first on the log because his team made the first two finals after finishing second (2022) and third (2023) respectively.
A second placed finish will leave them still in a strong position, and that is the carrot for the Stormers on Friday as they look to keep ahead of Leinster, who are one point behind them in third.
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There isn’t much difference between third and fourth (where the Bulls are currently) as those finishing positions will condemn whichever teams fill them to travelling provided the rest of the opening round of the Finals Series goes according to the seeding taken into the knockout phase.
SELECTED AROUND THE NEED TO 'BUILD CAPACITY'
The Stormers have their sights on going deep in the competition like they did in the first two seasons (in the last two they’ve finished fifth in both seasons) and while they will be going all out to beat Cardiff, they have also kept the games they hope to still have to play in their minds in the selection for Friday’s game.
Dobson explained that for instance the selection of young Jonathan Roche ahead of the more experienced Dan du Plessis at centre was all about building the capacity of the player in case he has to play a role during the knockouts.
“If we were playing in a quarterfinal this weekend we might have selected differently but we think Jonathon is special and he needs a run because he hasn’t played for us for a while and we might need him later in the competition. It’s our last opportunity before the playoffs to give Johnny a go. We made a commitment to him weeks ago that he would play this game.”
For the final time this season… 💥🥊
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HARTZENBERG’S CHANCE TO SHOW HE CAN BE THE ANSWER AT WING
The same can be said for the selection of Suleiman Hartzenberg, who hasn’t played much for the Stormers this year after being injured for much of the early part of the season and then struggling for form on his return.
Hartzenberg will play wing in place of Wandesile Simelane, who moves to outside centre as Roche’s midfield partner.
“We want to give Suleiman another chance to see if that can be a solution for us on the wing,” said Dobson.
The Stormers have played Simelane, who is normally a centre, and Damian Willemse, who is best known as a centre or fullback, on the right wing in recent games mainly for tactical reasons, but the Stormers do lack the out and out pacy strike-power that they’ve boasted for most of their history dating back to the days of Pieter Rossouw and Breyton Paulse.
They do have that when Seabelo Senatla is fit but the former Blitzbok superstar has struggled with his fitness this season and unless he lost pace during his period of inactivity, Hartzenberg does have speed to burn and also a history of being a good finisher in that position for the Stormers.
MOERAT’S RETURN IS GOOD TIMING
While those selections at the back are around what Dobson calls “building capacity” he said the return from injury to the bench of Springbok lock Salmaan Moerat was the “building of a whole new structure” in terms of its impact.
“Having Salmaan back gives us three experienced locks and that offers us a whole new outlook (when it comes to forward depth). Ulster have struggled with injuries to their locks and they have just lost one (to a military call) so that is an area where we could have an advantage.”
Dobson added that centre Ruhan Nel, who has been the Stormers’ regular captain this season during the periods where he has been fit and Moerat hastn’t been, was close to selection as he comes back from a minor calf injury but eventually a conservative decision had to be made in terms of what is to come for the Stormers this season.
“It is a pity Ruhan isn’t playing. We hoped to have him ready for this game, but his injury is not 100 per cent. It is close to 100, probably 90 per cent, but if it goes again he will be out for a long time.”
So Nel is effectively being protected for the playoffs which seems the correct call given that while the Stormers desperately want to finish in the top two, they are assured of a home quarterfinal regardless of what happens against the Welsh team and there’s always a higher risk of injuries when playing on the 4G surface that Friday night’s game will be played on.