[2017 Super Rugby] Round 8: Stormers vs. Lions (15/04/2017)

[TRF_heineken]

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

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

After the weekend I am suddenly feeling unreasonably confident here.

I'd say both teams have a good team dynamic and know their game. I'd give us the the edge in most places though that might be bias, it might be I'm backing our home advantage and the Lions are still missing Combrinck and Mapoe. We seem to be doing better sans our test centers.

I am very tempted to do the subjective position for position comparison (please pardon my bias);

1 Stormers
2 Stormers (I am backing Mbonambi while the Lions are keeping Marx on the bench)
3 Stormers
4 Stormers
5 Stormers
6 Lions
7 Stormers
8 Lions
9 .. actually, Stormers for me
10 .. and again, I am backing Du Preez ahead of Jantjies everything considered.
11 Stormers
12 Lions
13 Stormers
14 Stormers
15 Stormers by a whisker

Bench; here I give the edge to the Lions

12/16 for the Stormers? LOL, am I being totally unfair here?

 

[TRF_heineken]

I don't know. I'm lining up more towards the Lions.

They had a bye last week, so all their players will be refreshed for this encounter, while the Stormers might be out on their feet after the Chiefs game. I saw a lot of Stormers players cramping up at the end of the game, and the question is if they will be able to keep up 2 games in a row?

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Nah. Stormers by 16.

 

[saulan]

They had a bye last week, so all their players will be refreshed for this encounter,

Will they though? A bye is not always a good thing, we came back from our bye fairly undercooked and only beat the Sunwolves in the last twenty minutes. The bye can be a blessing or a curse.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Will they though? A bye is not always a good thing, we came back from our bye fairly undercooked and only beat the Sunwolves in the last twenty minutes. The bye can be a blessing or a curse.

Yeah I know, but the thing is that the Lions didn't have to travel like many teams do when they have a bye. And most of their players are injury free. So I'm thinking they are hungry to have a go at the Stormers.

Because as things stand, The Lions are the no. 1 SA team at the moment, and they wouldn't want the Stormers to take over their reign...

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Lions are so 2016 though.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Lions are so 2016 though.

Ha! It's a very tough pill for me to swallow. As it's the 2 teams I was brought up to despise, and now they are playing so well while my team is sucking old man balls on the other side of the spectrum.

Kind of reminds me of the that period when the joke was: Wat's die verskil tussen die Bulls en 'n Samoosa? 'n Samoosa het ten minste 3 punte...

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Ha! It's a very tough pill for me to swallow. As it's the 2 teams I was brought up to despise, and now they are playing so well while my team is sucking old man balls on the other side of the spectrum.

Kind of reminds me of the that period when the joke was: Wat's die verskil tussen die Bulls en 'n Samoosa? 'n Samoosa het ten minste 3 punte...

I actually read ".. on the other side of the rectum." kinda fit as well.

Cheer up, man. We're not even halfway yet. I think its safe enough to say the Stormers are in good nick and the Bulls will probably not lift us off of top spot or break into a wildcard spot with both Sharks and Jags also in winning form but I believe we are all hoping the Bulls can start turning it around and building towards a good end run and itching for 2018.

I actually do feel we should be favorites at home which is probably why we will end up tanking this one but there is always hope. Till there isn't.

 

[TRF_heineken]

I actually read ".. on the other side of the rectum." kinda fit as well.

Cheer up, man. We're not even halfway yet. I think its safe enough to say the Stormers are in good nick and the Bulls will probably not lift us off of top spot or break into a wildcard spot with both Sharks and Jags also in winning form but I believe we are all hoping the Bulls can start turning it around and building towards a good end run and itching for 2018.

I actually do feel we should be favorites at home which is probably why we will end up tanking this one but there is always hope. Till there isn't.

Haha!

I'm always hopeful, and I know the Bulls have it in them to change things around. The question is when...

As for this game. I think I'll wait and see what the teams look like... I see the Stormers have a few injury concerns:
Cobus Wiese
PS Du Toit
Eben Etzebeth

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Haha!

I'm always hopeful, and I know the Bulls have it in them to change things around. The question is when...

As for this game. I think I'll wait and see what the teams look like... I see the Stormers have a few injury concerns:
Cobus Wiese
PS Du Toit
Eben Etzebeth

My thinking goes;

If we can do for the Chiefs without Du Toit we can do for the Lions without him.
Depending on how the game plays out Carr in for Wiese might be an upgrade.
Etzebeth out would hurt but suposedly both Etzebeth and Du Toit *should* be fit for the Lions.
On the other hand we have Vermaak ready and Coetzee looks set to be unavailable for the Lions.

All in all I think we are in the better coach of the injury train.

 

[TRF_heineken]

My thinking goes;

If we can do for the Chiefs without Du Toit we can do for the Lions without him.
Depending on how the game plays out Carr in for Wiese might be an upgrade.
Etzebeth out would hurt but suposedly both Etzebeth and Du Toit *should* be fit for the Lions.
On the other hand we have Vermaak ready and Coetzee looks set to be unavailable for the Lions.

All in all I think we are in the better coach of the injury train.

Perhaps.

But Wiese was one of your better players on the field on Saturday. He's a lot like Juan Smith

 

[saulan]

But Wiese was one of your better players on the field on Saturday. He's a lot like Juan Smith

I'll be honest, I didn't really notice him on the field, to me he didn't stand out and I don't see it as that much of a loss, or even if it is one at all if Carr takes his place. Both our other starting loose forwards outshone him.

 

[TRF_heineken]

I'll be honest, I didn't really notice him on the field, to me he didn't stand out and I don't see it as that much of a loss, or even if it is one at all if Carr takes his place. Both our other starting loose forwards outshone him.

Exactly! He did his job. He was your workhorse on Saturday. Something that the Stormers have been missing in their loose trio since the departure of Schalla.

Between Kolisi, Carr and Notshe you have a lot of flair, but not so much the ones that does the hard yards, maybe Kolisi, but he's playing so well in his current position, it would be a travesty to switch him.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

ESPN has Wiese down for only 1 tackle? Notshe at 6, Kolisi at 15 and Carr at 9. Wiese in with 1 yellow card and 4 runs. Not a busy game if the stats are to be believed? Wiese touching the ball 7 times, Notshe 12, Carr and Kolisi both 8. Wiese passing 3 and running 4 times. Can't say I remember much apart from the silly push and harsh yellow.

 

[TRF_heineken]

ESPN has Wiese down for only 1 tackle? Notshe at 6, Kolisi at 15 and Carr at 9. Wiese in with 1 yellow card and 4 runs. Not a busy game if the stats are to be believed? Wiese touching the ball 7 times, Notshe 12, Carr and Kolisi both 8. Wiese passing 3 and running 4 times. Can't say I remember much apart from the silly push and harsh yellow.

Those stats doesn't show me much. He cleared out so many rucks, especially Retallick at vital moments, and his support play was great at securing the ball for you guys. Again, it doesn't surprize me that the other guys show more on those stats...

 

[SomeOke]

If Eben and PstD are missing that is huge, enough maybe for us to lose this game. When we didn't have them against the Sunwolves both or scrums and line-outs looked far poorer not to mention they are just world class, where as their replacements are average.

At home we do have the edge but it may be too much for us after a bruising encounter against the Chiefs.
@Stormer, how do you know they aren't starting Marx?
For me the player by player comparison is like so:
1. Stormers by a whisker
2. Lions by a whisker (Assuming they start Marx and I don't see why they wouldn't be)
3. Stormers by a bit
4. Stormers if Eben Lions if not
5. As above
6. Lions by a lot
7. Stormers
8. Lions by a whisker
9. Lions if Vermaak is injured, Stormers if he's fit
10. To close to call
11. To close to call
12. Lions by a fair bit
13. Stormers by a whisker
14. Stormers
15. Stormers if Coetzee is injured - maybe Stormers anyway.

With Lions being fresher, but Stormers having home advantage it's very tight. There also hasn't been much cross over between African conferences, so it's hard to judge relative strength but what games we have had imply the Stormers are stronger (Lions and Sharks both struggled agaisnt the Cheetahs).

In conclusion I'm going Stormers by 5, but another sphincter tightening game.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Those stats doesn't show me much. He cleared out so many rucks, especially Retallick at vital moments, and his support play was great at securing the ball for you guys. Again, it doesn't surprize me that the other guys show more on those stats...

I'll bow to your wisdom with you having played in the forwards while I was a flash pretty-boy winger and having played for teams where if we won it was off back penetration. LOL, the year I spent playing for UCT I can't remeber a scrum where we did not go backwards at knots (this was not the 1st team mind you and I find the stereotypes prove more true looking at the depth rather than the pinnacle). I did play one game alongside a very young Kolisi though where two tries (from him) in the last ten minute sealed a win. Basically one of our players didn't pitch and the opposition agreed to have Kolisi do bench duty (he had already played a game for the 1st team) if he only came on if we had an injury. Anyway..

If Eben and PstD are missing that is huge, enough maybe for us to lose this game. When we didn't have them against the Sunwolves both or scrums and line-outs looked far poorer not to mention they are just world class, where as their replacements are average.

At home we do have the edge but it may be too much for us after a bruising encounter against the Chiefs.
@Stormer, how do you know they aren't starting Marx?
For me the player by player comparison is like so:
1. Stormers by a whisker
2. Lions by a whisker (Assuming they start Marx and I don't see why they wouldn't be)
3. Stormers by a bit
4. Stormers if Eben Lions if not
5. As above
6. Lions by a lot
7. Stormers
8. Lions by a whisker
9. Lions if Vermaak is injured, Stormers if he's fit
10. To close to call
11. To close to call
12. Lions by a fair bit
13. Stormers by a whisker
14. Stormers
15. Stormers if Coetzee is injured - maybe Stormers anyway.

With Lions being fresher, but Stormers having home advantage it's very tight. There also hasn't been much cross over between African conferences, so it's hard to judge relative strength but what games we have had imply the Stormers are stronger (Lions and Sharks both struggled agaisnt the Cheetahs).

In conclusion I'm going Stormers by 5, but another sphincter tightening game.

They have favored Marx off of the bench so far this season so that's what I went with. Its all pointless of course until the line-ups are up (even then its only specualtion of course) but that has never stopped me before LOL.

We'll of course only get to see the line-ups 1 hour before kick-off if the Stormers stay true to form. ********.

 

[SomeOke]

It's mostly been Marx starting I thought, but as you say it's this weekend that matters and it's pointless to speculate until we see some line-ups.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Odd, i had a look at Stormers lineup comparsion and kinda agree, but if i had to put money on it, i'd probably bet on the Lions. They just look more cohesive as a team to me but maybe i am a bit too 2016.