Time for Stormers to show some BMT
The clash at Newlands against a red-hot Bulls team this weekend will be the perfect opportunity for the Stormers to prove that they have progressed from last year and have the ability to win when the pressure is on.
The Cape team have been one of the most consistent outfits in Super Rugby for the last few seasons, but one area they have fallen down in is getting over the line in the crunch games which separate good teams from champion teams.
Coach Allister Coetzee's team have the tightest defence in the competition, which makes them a tough prospect for any side, but last year they let themselves down by capitulating to the Reds, Crusaders and Bulls who all launched massive physical attacks on them at Newlands.
It has been more of the same this season, as although they have not performed flawlessly they have managed to win every game so far and deservedly sit on top of the table as a result. But despite being the only unbeaten team in the competition they still feel that they have plenty to prove.
It is clear when listening to Stormers captain Jean de Villiers talk about the Bulls that there is plenty of admiration in Cape Town for the winning mentality of their northern rivals, with the ever-lengthening trophy drought at Newlands weighing heavily on his team.
De Villiers spoke of 'stepping up' and 'learning from mistakes' in order to 'improve', which is not what you would typically expect of a skipper whose team are sitting pretty on top of the log, but you get the impression that this game means far more to his team than just the four logs points on offer.
The clash with the Bulls represents a chance for the Stormers to show that they can deliver when the heat is on, and their determination to match the physical threat of the Pretoria side was evident in the selection of a bulkier pack.
De Villiers said that whilst his team had shown promise last season, they ultimately came up short in some of their most important games, and it is that factor which lends this match even greater significance than the fact that they are facing the old enemy in front of a packed house.
He commented: "We are trying to improve every single week and learn from our mistakes. Last year although we were able to win at Loftus and Kings Park, the crunch game at Newlands when we needed to beat the Bulls we did not.
"It really is about learning from your mistakes, rectifying them and hopefully the next time it comes around not to do the same so we need to stick to our structures put in a better performance and get the victory on Saturday," added the Stormers captain.
De Villiers admitted to being in awe of the powerful display the Bulls put together last week to demolish the Reds at Loftus Versfeld and said that his team will have to lift their intensity if they want to compete on Saturday.
"I definitely thought that they would win that one - I thought they were the better team. But to beat the defending champions by such a margin, that takes quite a performance.
"You can say what you want about the Bulls but whatever they do, they do really well and they certainly did that last week so we need to lift our game by quite a lot to be able to put up a good show on Saturday," said the veteran Springbok.
Coetzee conveyed the same sort of admiration for the Bulls' ruthless victory over the Reds, and made a special note of the winning mentality that has been developed in Pretoria - something the Stormers are envious of for obvious reasons.
"It was a great performance - they did the job with ease. The culture of the Bulls is a winning culture, they win trophies and they understand how to push the pedal in when it is needed," he said.
The Stormers coach said that his team are looking forward to the occasion and dismissed the suggestion that their unbeaten status has placed any extra pressure on them.
"There will always be pressure on us when we play at Newlands against the Bulls but it is a challenge that we embrace and we don't have to feel guilty for being unbeaten.
"This is what these players live for, with due respect you watch some of these games on tv and it is very empty, it is not nice to play in front of just your mum, granny and the dog there.
"To play at Newlands against the Bulls is special and hopefully we can put in a special performance on Saturday," he said.
If the Stormers are to transform from a consistently good team to one that challenges for silverware then they need to start winning big games such as the one this weekend, the fact that they are facing a Bulls team in breathtaking form simply makes this a more worthwhile test of whether they have moved on from the shortcomings of last year.
By Michael de Vries