Preview: Stormers v Crusaders
Sportal.co.nz - (1/07/2011)
The Crusaders gave one of their best performances of the year in beating the Stormers in pool play but a semi-final at Newlands promises to be a much harder game to win.
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HEAD TO HEAD: Played 16; Western Province / Stormers 4 wins, Crusaders 11, drawn 1.
LAST TIME: May 7, 2011 (Cape Town, round 12) – Stormers 14-20 Crusaders.
WALKING WOUNDED: Both teams are close to full strength for this match. The Stormers are without blockbusting No 8 Duane Vermeulen but his replacement, Nick Koster, has been showing good touches recently. Otherwise all changes are optional and they concern the shuffling among the outside backs. Richie McCaw returns for the Crusaders after his issues with an on-going foot problem; otherwise teh same team that thumped the Sharks has been named.
FORM:
Stormers:
Round 15: Beat Brumbies 16-3 (a)
Round 16: Beat Rebels 40-3 (a)
Round 17: Lost to Bulls 16-19 (h)
Round 18: Beat Cheetahs 44-34 (a)
Playoff: Bye
Crusaders:
Round 15: Lost to Reds 16-17 (a)
Round 16: Bye
Round 17: Beat Blues 23-16 (h)
Round 18: Beat Hurricanes 16-9 (h)
Playoff: Beat Sharks 36-8 (h)
The Stormers deservedly finished second on the ladder after pool play, as they were consistent throughout. Not the flashest team among the 15, they proved to be tough, resilient and capable of winning tight matches although only three of their 12 victories were by fewer than 10 points. That was mainly due to the brick-wall defence that only collapsed on a couple of occasions – most notably in the second spell against the Chiefs – and any tries against the Stormers were hard earned. They carried the same sort of form into their 2010 semi and proceded to beat the Waratahs comfortably, so they'll be primed for this match. Maybe there is a small question over whether the bye will affect the team’s continuity but one suspects it won't be a factor. The Crusaders laid down a clear challenge with their big win over the Sharks, where three tries to one was fattened with strong goal-kicking. The manner of the win says Todd Blackadder's troops are ready to play hard-nosed, pragmatic elimination football against another side that will go down the same route. That win was the most decisive the Crusaders had enjoyed since the middle stages of the competition and was gained by a team that has almost cleared its stars from the MASH tent after spending much of the season without them. The team has a good record at Cape Town and gained a very good win there a couple of months back, so there are plenty of signs that this will be a cracker of a match. If the bye might be a question over the home side, the rather rushed trip back to South Africa will be a challenge for the Crusaders to overcome.
WHO'S HOT: While playoff matches are won by the better team there is no doubt the big players have a massive influence. On the Stormers side that means Schalk Burger and Andries Bekker are their most important forwards, as they are both capable of dynamic performances that can turn matches. Both men have been playing with a high level of consistency for the last couple of years; now they need to play above that level for 80 minutes and carry the team. If that happens the other forwards will have a good platform to work from. Likewise in the backs Bryan Habana, who has been relatively quiet in 2011, is a player who has the ability to break the match wide open with an inspired moment. Of late he has been creating chances from nothing chasing kick-offs, so the visitors will need to be aware of the threat he poses at this phase. On the Crusaders side Brad Thorn is guaranteed to be in the hottest action for 80 minutes, either carting the ball up as needed, hitting rucks or making tackles around the fringes. He is another of those players who has a high weekly performance level and who can lift in the big games. Kieran Read has been in tremendous form all season and is one of the class forwards of the tournament. Possessing all the skills, excellent rugby knowledge and plenty of experience, he has become one of the most important Crusaders. Another of the important players is Daniel Carter, whose season was interrupted by a niggling injury but who has recovered completely just in time for the business end. His general play last week helped pin the Sharks down and his goal-kicking (7 from 9, 19 points) went a long way towards finishing them off.
WE THINK: It's always hard picking against the home side in a playoff match and very few lose. We're not going to go against that flow in this one; no matter how good the Crusaders are – and they are a serious threat – the Stormers do have a big advantage. They haven't had to travel at short notice and they have had another week to get some players fully fit again. It will be a cracker of a match – possibly the best of the year – but we'll have the Stormers by five at the end.
TEAMS:
Stormers: 1. Wicus Blaauw, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 3. Brok Harris, 4 Rynhardt Elstadt, 5. Andries Bekker, 6. Schalk Burger (capt), 7. Francois Louw, 8. Nick Koster, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 10. Peter Grant, 11. Bryan Habana, 12. Jean de Villiers, 13. Jaque Fourie, 14. Gio Aplon, 15. Conrad Jantjies.
Replacements: 16. Deon Fourie, 17. Steven Kitshoff, 18. Anton van Zyl, 19. Schalk Brits, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Juan de Jongh, 22. Johann Sadie.
Crusaders: 1. Wyatt Crockett, 2. Corey Flynn, 3. Owen Franks, 4. Brad Thorn, 5. Sam Whitelock, 6. George Whitelock, 7. Richie McCaw (capt), 8. Kieran Read, 9. Andy Ellis, 10. Daniel Carter, 11. Zac Guildford, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 13. Robbie Fruean, 14. Sean Maitland, 15. Tom Marshall.
Replacements: 16. Quentin MacDonald, 17. Ben Franks, 18. Luke Romano, 19. Matt Todd, 20. Kahn Fotuali'i, 21. Matt Berquist, 22. Ryan Crotty.
REFEREE: Craig Joubert