Fleck: Stormers 'not an arrogant team'

Replacement prop Vincent Koch scored a try in the last minute as the Stormers came from 14 points down to snatch an unlikely 17-all draw against Super rugby newcomers the Sunwolves at Singapore's National Stadium at the weekend.

While Fleck admitted he was "very disappointed" with the performance and they probably didn't deserve the draw, he said it was not a case of complacency going into the game against the Lowly Japanese team.

He also suggested the return of Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth, who has been out since last month with a calf injury, will go a long way to help them set the record straight when they travel to Pretoria this coming Saturday to meet the Bulls in a crunch match in the Africa One conference.

The big setback is that prop JC Janse van Rensburg could face a spell on the sidelines, after suffering a knee injury in the first half.

"It is not what we are about," Fleck said in a teleconference from Singapore, after the draw with the Sunwolves.

"We did well to get the two points [for the draw] at the end, but we certainly didn't deserve it.

"We want to put this game to bed and move on."

Fleck spoke of being "flat" and "too many errors", adding that the "guys played too much rugby, while we lost all form and shape".

"The list [of reasons for the poor performance] is pretty long," he said, adding that the team was a little better in the second half and showed character to claw their way back and get the draw.

"However, by no mean was it our standard. We know what it takes to be a top team in this competition."

He flatly denied that complacency was an issue.

"The [build-up] in the week was pretty good," Fleck said from Singapore .

"I don't think there was much complacency. We trained really well on Monday and Tuesday before we left, but we didn't train while we were here.

"We felt the preparation was good. However, on the day it wasn't [good], both from a mental, tactical and physical point of view.

"We are not an arrogant team, we were not complacent in any way.

"We are a humble side and we work incredibly hard. We weren't good on the day and that is it."

He also dismissed the travel factor and pointed out that the Sunwolves - who travelled 5,000 kilometres from Tokyo to Singapore for the game - have already circumvented half the globe this season.

However, he became a bit testy when asked if they are under pressure, having conceded the lead in the combined Africa One and Two conference log to the Lions, with the Sharks also having closed the gap.

The Lions are top the combined Africa table with 32 points after 10 games, followed by the Stormers (31 from 10), the Sharks (30 from 11) and Bulls (28 from 10).

They are the four teams contesting the three available spots from the African conference - two conference winners and one wildcard (third best placed overall in Africa) spot.

"The Lions and Sharks don't have anything to do with us," was Fleck's brusque response.

"We have to win our conference [Africa One] and that is the most important thing.

"The next game is the Bulls and that is our focus.

"They are the guys challenging us in our conference and it is a massive game for us.

"Eben [Etzebeth] is coming back, so we should be a little more comfortable."

He admitted that on the injury front it is not looking good for prop JC Janse van Rensburg, who left the field in the 30th minute.

"He is going in for some scans, but he my have an MCL [medial collateral ligament injury]," Fleck said.

"The full extent will be confirmed back in Cape Town, but the initial prognoses is not good."

he said that centre Juan de Jongh had a tight hamstring going into the game, but he came through fine.

Scrumhalf Louis Schreuder had a stiff back during the build-up.

"However, JC [Janse van Rensburg] is the only serious injury.

"Eben [Etzebeth] has been training back home and will join us at training on Tuesday."

Fleck said he is not about to throw the baby out with the bath water, despite the poor performance.

"For me it is important that I back the players that are in the quad and get them back on track.

"It was a bad day at the office for everybody."

By Jan de Koning

@rugby365com