[2015 Super Rugby] Stormers vs. Chiefs (Round 5) 14/03/2015

[Adakins]

Good game. I am at working watching it and I hated walking away from the screen cause I never knew what I would come back too. Nice win by the Chiefs away from home.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

I had high hopes going into this game, those hopes disappeared after the Stormers absolutely destroyed the Chiefs at scrum time. Thankfully the Chiefs managed to win the game through other facets - though I wonder how different the result would have been if the starting front row for the Stormers had lasted the whole match?

Lowe has obviously been fantastic for the Chiefs, but Heem has also been very good - huge kudos for that try-saving tackle! I had horrible flashbacks to last year when Horrell and TNW were paired up for a small part of the match, I'm glad that combo didn't last long in this match.

 

[Mikel92]

Chiefs really need to get that scrum sorted. They struggled against the Highlanders as well in that area; there's obviously something not going the way it should. My own speculation is that even if the Stormers props stayed on (which they probably should have), I get the feeling the Chiefs still would have taken it out. The pace was starting to wear on some of those Stormers front rowers, and while they were beastly at the set piece, not sure if they could have kept up with the tempo going from ruck to ruck. Who knows though.

Lowe, Heem, Nanai-Williams all had stand out performances I thought. Definitely inject something to that Chiefs backline which my beloved Crusaders don't have at the moment. Thought in the second half SBW got found out a little with a few knock ons. At one stage the Chiefs had a massive line up when they were running it out of their 22 and SBW stone cold dropped it without a Stormer for miles.

Posted this in another thread but thought Cruden had his best game in a long time. Good to see him standing up on away tours when it counts. That's handy from an All Blacks perspective.

 

[Amobokoboko]

He also had a better kicking game in comparison to last week.

 

[bazwaz]

Yeah absolutely loved it. Chiefs definitely looking the goods...

Beating the top South African side on their home soil is no mean feat especially given the 42,000 screaming Stormer supporters, the heat, travelling, timezone difference etc.
Rennie is definitely onto something with this awesome backline. Strategy of getting the ball wide a winner.

To think that Tamanivalu , Marshal and Ngatai weren't even playing... Such great depth at centre and fullback. James Lowe must've caught Hansen's eye by now you'd think as well.
Our forwards coped well despite being outmuscled at times - superior fitness won the day. Sam Cane is a machine.
Cruden was back to his awesome best. Loved Heems try saving cover tackle over on the opposite wing. Lots of great moments.

Good confidence boosting win for the Chiefs after hitting a speed bump last week. Great weekend for NZ rugby in general unless of course your a Blues fan. Although Halai's and Visinia's tries were brilliant.

Next year if JK lasts that long they will have Sevens sensation Reiko Ioane and Rene Ranger to bolster their chances. Moala also makes a big difference and is sorely missed. Interesting how Ihaia West currently has the best kicking percentage in the comp while the Blues are sitting rock bottom. How ironic is that?

 

[Mikel92]

James Lowe must've caught Hansen's eye by now you'd think as well.

I got that impression too. Not sure what our winger stocks will be like after the World Cup; would be hard to squeeze out Charles Piutau or Julian Savea if they stay. But man, Lowe just does things well and does them right.

 

[Rugga-lad]

There's a massive problem in SA Rugby in that the coaches make changes to the front row and key players when their team is on top. Almost as if they change for the sake of it. That has cost SA teams a lot of points and even games in previous seasons, and this season as well.

 

[Mikel92]

There's a massive problem in SA Rugby in that the coaches make changes to the front row and key players when their team is on top. Almost as if they change for the sake of it. That has cost SA teams a lot of points and even games in previous seasons, and this season as well.

Yeah I know what you mean. Jamie Joseph (Highlanders coach) had a habit of that last year, replacing Aaron Smith with the Japanese halfback. Can totally understand subbing and giving other players game time. But with 15-20 to go with your team trailing while the momentum is finally coming back to you? I know I'm not an expert but that just doesn't make sense to me. It cost the 'Landers a game last year, can't remember which, and he kept doing it in the following weeks.

 

[austingtir]

Yeah I know what you mean. Jamie Joseph (Highlanders coach) had a habit of that last year, replacing Aaron Smith with the Japanese halfback. Can totally understand subbing and giving other players game time. But with 15-20 to go with your team trailing while the momentum is finally coming back to you? I know I'm not an expert but that just doesn't make sense to me. It cost the 'Landers a game last year, can't remember which, and he kept doing it in the following weeks.

Tanaka is a great little player and IMO A Smith has cost the HL more games than anyone currently in the side.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

There's a massive problem in SA Rugby in that the coaches make changes to the front row and key players when their team is on top. Almost as if they change for the sake of it. That has cost SA teams a lot of points and even games in previous seasons, and this season as well.

Toetie has made an art form of this over the years and Ludeke is also a regular culprit but do you really think it's more than just them?

Even without our front row having been replaced for no good reason I still get the idea we'd have lost that game though maybe picking up a losing BP as the Chiefs were slowly but surely getting better ball from the scrum and making more and more inroads on the attack due in part to simply better fitness and then also better positional play meaning they were in better positions to get points and we were forced to defend more which only exacerbates the effect of the (small but in the end significant) disparity in fitness levels.

We just needed to get more points while on top as we don't like chasing games. That requires some territorial advantage though or at least the ability to out from deep neither of which we managed apart form a bit of luck off of poor kicking for our lone try. Credit to the Chiefs defense and breakdown play though.

I've said it before and I'll say it again we aren't going to be pushing for a ***le without a world class 9/10 combination and we got found out by a ***le contending team playing intellegently. The fact we are a bit light out wide they also exploitedly brilliantly with their classy outback players in giving them space which we just don't seem keen or able of doing. SBW was kept quite but we did that through swarming him which just opened up the space elsewhere- we should have adapted better when we saw that but didn't.

That said this is a very young Stormers team and we'll only learn from these sorts of games and if you'd have given me 4 from 5 at the start of the season I'd have taken it though the fact we've regressed in our approach to the game since the Curry cup (players missing, reverting back to type under pressure or just a better quality of opposition stimmying us? - I don't know) does rankle (is that right?) me.. rankle... rankle..

 

[Mikel92]

Tanaka is a great little player and IMO A Smith has cost the HL more games than anyone currently in the side.

Fair enough.

Personally I feel Smith still asks questions of the defense; a little bit like the old Genia would, where if an opportunity to take a snipe is on, he'd take it. A good communicator. And the reason he's in the ABs is primarily for his great passing game. Tanaka, totally agree is a good wee player, but feel as though last year he didn't have that awareness or ownership that Smith had.

 

[Bull]

While the Stormers do have good defense I've always felt they struggle when coming up against a dangerous attacking side.

 

[donmcdazzle]

Tanaka is a great little player and IMO A Smith has cost the HL more games than anyone currently in the side.

Are you still banging that ridiculous drum? Have you not realised he's a top 3 halfback in the world and you're the only guy who doesn't see it? Did he bone your sister or something?

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

While the Stormers do have good defense I've always felt they struggle when coming up against a dangerous attacking side.

Off the back of TNW and Lowe cutting us to pieces I can't make any arguments. I just want to say that this is a very young Stormers side and most were giving us 4rth place in the SA conference prior to the start of the season. Also, out wide where the damage was done (though De Allende also had a bad game defense wise if not on attack) we are fielding Super rugby rookies with Van Wyk making his SR debut against a team that won the thing 2 out of the last 3 years.