[2017 Super Rugby] Round 7: Stormers vs. Chiefs (08/04/2017)

[TRF_heineken]

Venue: DHL Newlands
Time: 17:15 CAT (SA, GMT+2)​

Teams

Stormers: 15 SP Marais, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 EW Viljoen, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Siya Kolisi (captain), 6 Cobus Wiese, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth (vice-captain), 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.

Substitutes: 16 Ramone Samuels, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Jan de Klerk, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Justin Phillips, 22 Kurt Coleman, 23 Dan Kriel

Chiefs: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Toni Pulu, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Stephen Donald, 11 James Lowe, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Michael Leitch, 7 Lachlan Boshier, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Dominic Bird, 3 Atu Moli, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Kane Hames

Substitutes: 16 Brayden Mitchell, 17 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi, 18 Sosefo Kautai, 19 Taleni Seu, 20 Mitchell Brown, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Sam McNicol, 23 Shaun Stevenson

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

+1 for adding these match threads every week, @TRF_heineken !

Our first game of the season! I can hardly wait!

On the plus our 1st team looks a hell of lot more shapely from the one that labored the win over the wolves in Singapore. Line-out a lot better, shape on attack irresistible (at least as far as the Cheetahs are concerned). The defense also looked a lot tidier though of course we will be thoroughly tested by the Chiefs. In fact I'd go as far as to label them favorites because we haven't been tested properly and the Chiefs enjoy home ground advantage. Hoping my heart can tell my head to eat his words come the final whistle.

I'm hoping to see;

1 JC JvRensburg
2 B Mbonambi
3 W Louw
4 E Etzebeth
5 PS Du Toit
6 ?
7 S Kolisi
8 S Notshe

9 J Vermaak (I haven't heard that his injury was serious?)
10 R Du Preez (How fares Du Plessis? Anyone know?)
11 D Lleyds
12 S Treeby
13 EW Viljoen
14 C Kolbe
15 SP Marais

16 S Ntubeni
17 F Malherbe
18 O Kebble
19 J Kleyn
20 N Carr
21 D Duvenhage
22 JL du Plessis/ Coleman
23 D du Plessis

I strongly feel we need an out-and-out fecther in this side. Kolisi is not that man but still handy. Handier than Wiese IMO. We should have kept Cloete. Who do we have on the books that can scavenge. At least I've heard Sam Cane is out but the Chiefs are probably the side with the deepest quality in depth so that adds little to my hopes. Breakdown will be all important.

If we can maintain some semblence of the side that monstered the Cheetahs we should be pushing for a win here. We will just need to have better accuracy at goal though; 66% won't cut it in a tight match.

 

[Makos]

Wow, surprised to see Shaun Treeby there.

Really looking forward to this game & it should finally give us a proper indication of where things are at.

Rettalick/Bird vs Etzebeth/du Toit is going to be great.

I think the Chiefs will win this, they are battle hardended and the Stormers are unlikely to be used to that intensity yet.

The Chiefs have big defense, which may not always be legal & have some slick backline players, which I think will prove all too much for the Stormers who will struggle to penetrate the Chiefs defensive line. Even after their impressive attacking display vs the Cheetahs.

 

[SomeOke]

I'm not so sure we'll see Shaun Treeby if just because a week isn't enough time to gel with the team, learn the moves etc, we might see him at 23. As for Vermaak he had a concussion, and they seem to take a week or two with concussions these days so I'd guess he's unlikely to be back.

As for the game I am JACKED. So far we've been great but haven't really been tested, Chiefs beat us by 40 points at home not so long ago so this should be a good indicator if we really are the business or not.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Wow, surprised to see Shaun Treeby there.

Really looking forward to this game & it should finally give us a proper indication of where things are at.

Rettalick/Bird vs Etzebeth/du Toit is going to be great.

I think the Chiefs will win this, they are battle hardended and the Stormers are unlikely to be used to that intensity yet.

The Chiefs have big defense, which may not always be legal & have some slick backline players, which I think will prove all too much for the Stormers who will struggle to penetrate the Chiefs defensive line. Even after their impressive attacking display vs the Cheetahs.

Yeah that's pretty much what my head is telling me. The heart is refusing to believe it though. Our locks are basically our only test players but we do have very capable players in each position and seem to have some good team dynamic going. I'm just hoping we keep it tight at least. Chiefs have the ability to inflate a score if they catch a few breaks.

I'm not so sure we'll see Shaun Treeby if just because a week isn't enough time to gel with the team, learn the moves etc, we might see him at 23. As for Vermaak he had a concussion, and they seem to take a week or two with concussions these days so I'd guess he's unlikely to be back.

As for the game I am JACKED. So far we've been great but haven't really been tested, Chiefs beat us by 40 points at home not so long ago so this should be a good indicator if we really are the business or not.

Fair points. I just want us to be at 100% or as close as possible everything considered even if only on paper for a starts.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I think the Rennie, Lowe and Cruden farewell tour will dominate this. But I underestimate the Stormers every time - they just look a little lightweight compared to the Lions and Sharks. It'll be the first time a top 3 SA side has hosted a Kiwi one so should be well worth watching to see how the styles match up.

Chiefs by 13

 

[SomeOke]

Our tight five is far from lightweight, but granted the rest of the team is a little. We are selecting players with skills rather than brawn this year, ultimately if we fall into the trap of playing territory and giving Chiefs possession we will lose, our back line is designed and selected around attack, a lot of our players are average to weak defenders but have a lot of trickery about them i.e. Dan du Plessis, Leyds, Kolbe, Marais.

I still think we can win though, few packs can out muscle us up front, and as long as we maintain the ball and play smart we have a chance. Keep it tight on defense and force them to kick, and when we have the ball - hold on to it. I feel like the Bulls made the mistake of kicking to the Chiefs last week and it cost them.

Edit: Stormers by 80. No hubris here.

Edit again: Real prediction - I have no idea but I fear the Chiefs defense may be too much for us to breach and we might run out of ideas. I will pray to the rugby gods that I'm wrong.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Stormers have in the past not faired too poorly against NZ sides. The sad thing is we have had a bit of a off season in 2016 so are out of practice. That'll end now LOL.

Our performances against NZ sides;

Year win/loss
2007 3/2
2008 3/2
2009 1/4
2010 5/0 (what a vintage year- whitewashing NZ sides! The perfect tonic for 2009)
2011 2/3
2012 3/1
2013 2/2
2014 2/2
2015 1/3
2016 0/1

Total 22/20 though recent history which is all that matters is 1/4 and traditionally the NZ sides we've struggled with are the Crusaders and more recently Chiefs.

My expectations are that we are building at this stage still. Too many new faces. This grueling session of 5 matches against top opposition will sort us out and be a good experience for our young backs looking ahead. Our pack is relatively settled at this stage even if still young.

 

[Larksea]

hard to predict the result as I've not seen the stormers play at all this season.

my only concern is that the Chiefs seemed to lose a lot of their continuity after the bye, so many passes went to ground, poor handling and ball retention. I would think the chiefs defense is that good that they can stay with any SA team through the game and overtake them in the last 20. But I also feel like if the chiefs attack can get back on song they will enjoy what are normally hard and fast grounds in SA.

Losing Sam Cane will hurt us for this game. His backups do a good job but when playing other top teams we really want Cane there.

By far the biggest issue is midfield.

Will also be interesting to see how the midfield shapes up after Fa'auli's ban. Donald has actually done a brilliant job when needed, his defense and workrate has been outstanding but it really looks like he would struggle to play 80. With Fa'auli banned and Ngatai still out injured we look short in midfield. I without knowing what the other options are I would seriously consider bringing Lowe into 13, ALB at 12 as we have guys who can cover the wing (Pulu/Solomon Alaimalo). I dont know what state TNW is in maybe he is fit to play again...

ok check of the chiefs site shows that TNW isn't touring as he is still injured and the chiefs look like they will take tasman midfielder Alex Nankivell who is what 20 years old? A wider training squad member? Playing the stormers at Newlands is a heck of a way for a 20 year old to make a debut... I like the James Lowe option

I wonder if the chiefs considered an SOS to dwayne sweeney It actually surprised me how good he looked at the 10's. He looked overweight but also fast and very hard to tackle.

 

[Radsy]

Watch for Toni Pulu to potentially play 13.

- - - Updated - - -

Chiefs have been very hazy since the bye week. They've played to the level of their competition. This will be very close.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Line-ups are up.

Stormers

15 SP Marais, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 EW Viljoen, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Siya Kolisi (captain), 6 Cobus Wiese, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth (vice-captain), 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.

Substitutes: 16 Ramone Samuels, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Jan de Klerk, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Justin Phillips, 22 Kurt Coleman, 23 Dan Kriel

Chiefs

15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Toni Pulu, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Stephen Donald, 11 James Lowe, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Michael Leitch, 7 Lachlan Boshier, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Dominic Bird, 3 Atu Moli, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Kane Hames
Substitutes: 16 Brayden Mitchell, 17 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi, 18 Sosefo Kautai, 19 Taleni Seu, 20 Mitchell Brown, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Sam McNicol, 23 Shaun Stevenson


Stormers unchanged apart from Vermaak who I suppose hasn't recuperated then. Suppose its for the best not to change a wining formula. Hope we can take that step up intensity that will be needed. Go, boytjies!

 

[SomeOke]

Stormers to win and then shag all of the Kiwi wives, using the Chiefs tears as lube.
In other news I'm packing 9 inches of heat and Donald Trump to bring about world peace.

Edit: Go Stormers, I'm the most tense/excited/incontinent I've been this year for a Stormers game, hope is cruel.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Pretty strong Chiefs lineup, all things considered. Certainly prefer Donald at 12 over Fauli'i so glad he's been banned for a few weeks. Obviously a bummer to not have Cane and Laulala but hopefully won't matter too much.

 

[SomeOke]

Pretty strong Chiefs lineup, all things considered. Certainly prefer Donald at 12 over Fauli'i so glad he's been banned for a few weeks. Obviously a bummer to not have Cane and Laulala but hopefully won't matter too much.

Yeah Fauli'i's been rubbish, he literally doesn't seem to offer anything, other than tackling hard (but not always smart or effectively).

Chiefs are assuredly the better side, I'm hoping the Chiefs come overconfident and the home ground advantage plays a big role but ultimately the Chiefs should take this. Stormers look like they're building something that could be really special but it's been five games against weak opposition. Versus the Chiefs being one of the best sides in the competition over the last few years.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Yeah Fauli'i's been rubbish, he literally doesn't seem to offer anything, other than tackling hard (but not always smart or effectively).

Chiefs are assuredly the better side, I'm hoping the Chiefs come overconfident and the home ground advantage plays a big role but ultimately the Chiefs should take this. Stormers look like they're building something that could be really special but it's been five games against weak opposition. Versus the Chiefs being one of the best sides in the competition over the last few years.

The Chiefs have performed very well against South African teams under Rennie, so like you've said they should go in as favourites. They also tend to play to the level of their opposition, somewhat, so I think they'll put out a much better performance than they did against the Rebels (I like to think the Bulls match was just a misnomer).

Chiefs v SA teams since Rennie took over:

P 22
W 17
L 3
D 2

In South Africa:

P 10
W 6
L 2
D 2

So hopefully at least a BP loss, but realistically should definitely be targeting a win! I'm sure it will be a great game regardless.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Yeah Fauli'i's been rubbish, he literally doesn't seem to offer anything, other than tackling hard (but not always smart or effectively).

Chiefs are assuredly the better side, I'm hoping the Chiefs come overconfident and the home ground advantage plays a big role but ultimately the Chiefs should take this. Stormers look like they're building something that could be really special but it's been five games against weak opposition. Versus the Chiefs being one of the best sides in the competition over the last few years.

Ja, this basically sums up my sentiments.

We look to be hitting an upward trend but we don't yet know whether its just the poor level of competition we've faced. Our team is young and in the future we should have Senatla, De Allende, Ntubeni and Kitshoff back to add a little extra depth in quality and experience across the park.

Chiefs very much favorites but its great to be able to see our boys go up against arguably the top team over the last half a decade. Last year was boring just facing Aussie sides.

 

[SomeOke]

Last year was boring just facing Aussie sides.

Agreed playing NZ is much more exciting, it also means we get 5 good games instead of 2. Not saying the Aussies are worse necessarily but playing the Force/Rebels/Reds is boring.

 

[Caitlyn Jenner]

Agreed playing NZ is much more exciting, it also means we get 5 good games instead of 2. Not saying the Aussies are worse necessarily but playing the Force/Rebels/Reds is boring.

The Aussies are worse haha you can say it, we all know it lol

 

[SomeOke]

The Aussies are worse haha you can say it, we all know it lol

Glasses houses and all that, if the SA teams are competitive this year maybe I'll throw a few stones .

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Holy ****. How do you defend against that?