Highlanders vs Stormers, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

[qwerty51]

Game of the round easily. The two best teams of the competition so far facing off, this is going to be big and one tough encounter. All out attacking team vs a defence orientated team. Who's going to win?

We all know how much the Highlanders love to run the ball but these stats just prove it.

http://www.ruggaworld.com/2012/04/04/player-stats-round-6/

No players in the top 20 for most kicks or metres. No players in the top 20 for most tackles.

7 players in the top 20 most runs with the top 2 spots going to Nasi Manu and Thomson (despite missing a game). 5 players in the top 20 for most run metres.

6 players in the top 20 for pick and drives, with Hore topping the list with more than double the next, again with missing a game.

And what did the Rebels do last game? Kicked to them!

 

[No4918]

Also seen stats that Highlanders on top or very close for being penalised at the ruck. The upside is they get most or again, are very close to the top in winning turnover ball. How has Chris Pollock been this year reffing the ruck?

 

[Brisbok]

Stormers – 15 Joe Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean De Villiers (c), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Subs: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Brok Harris, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Nick Koster, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Gerhard van den Heever.

One change to the starting XV from last week with Malherbe replacing Harris at tighthead prop. The Stormers usually travel well (particularly in NZ), but this is a tough game to have first up. Travelling from Cape Town, through Johannesburg, Sydney, Auckland to finally arrive in Dunedin and then play one of the form teams in the competition is a tough ask!

I think the Stormers defence is capable of strangling any team in the competition at the moment. If their tight give can dominate, which I think they can, I think their defence will be able to restrict the impact of the likes of Thompson and Manu. I expect to see a bit more creativity from the Stormers backs on this tour. Stormers by 3.

 

[The Red Baron]

Stormers are persisting with Elstadt at flanker eh? How did he go last week against the Bulls?

Liebenberg is playing the house down so far this year. Stormers pack looks like it could really give the Clan a good working over. However, the Clan could do the same thing to the Stormers, after factoring in travel.

Highlanders by 6 would be my prediction.

Teach, any word on who the clan is playing at flyhalf for this one?

 

[teach]

Jimmy Cowan's 100th game for the Highlanders this weekend so he could well be starting. Actually if the Stormers are going to keep it in the forwards, cowan is probably the better option at halfback. But who knows what Jamie Joesph has planned. My pick is Cowan to start. Particularly if the stormers are attacking around the fringes. Smith to come on at half time and openthe game up.

Mike Delaney will probably back up 1st V from the bench. He is already training with the squad. Noakes probably to start.

 

[qwerty51]

Stormers are persisting with Elstadt at flanker eh? How did he go last week against the Bulls?

He was good, big workrate and strong carries, gives them a superb lineout. He was a little ill-disciplined and dropped a few balls though which should improve. Much better option than Koster imo, interesting to see what happens when Burger is back.

 

[Cave Dweller]

Stormers looked too flat for me. They are good at Newlands but we will see what they do on the road

 

[Bullrush]

He was good, big workrate and strong carries, gives them a superb lineout. He was a little ill-disciplined and dropped a few balls though which should improve. Much better option than Koster imo, interesting to see what happens when Burger is back.

I kept him in Fantasy Team hoping he pays better returns than he did last week.....

 

[Troy]

Looking forward to this game, can't really see the Stormers winning it given they just scraped home against the bulls (at home), which would have been a physical game plus all the travel, plus they're playing the Highlighters! Expect them to fade in the last 20!

The Highlighters had the Rebels last week and quick bike ride to this weeks game.

Landers by 7

 

[PaarlBok]

This match will be decided in the tight 5. Expect the Stormers to dominate line outs and the youngster fatties with Malherbe to starts biggest test ever. Stormers have been great against the NZ teams over the last two years and the sure have the Clan's number and havent lost against them since 2007. Thompson is the key for the Clan, if he keep ruling at the breakdowns it will be a long night. Head says Clan , heart says Stormers. If we can dominate first phase we should be OK.

 

[Lachlan]

It's gonna be a close one - could easily go either way. With Sapoanga at the helm I think the Highlanders could take the win. With the less creative Noakes I don't think they'll be able to dismantle the Stormer defence well enough to undo the damage Joe Pietersen's boot is going to inflict on their highly penalised forwards. As Parl said, the mountain man Adam Thompson is going to play an enormous role in this game. Part scavenger, part line-out general, part link man, part ball runner, part lion. Immense player.

I can't wait for this one! Stormers by 2 for me.

 

[whatty]

If we can dominate first phase we should be OK.

Also we will have to commit players to the ruck to counteract the counter-rucking they are so good at. Not have to do that this season hence my concern.

Head says gut wrenching loss in the last 2 mins to the clan.

 

[PaarlBok]

Also we will have to commit players to the ruck to counteract the counter-rucking they are so good at. Not have to do that this season hence my concern.

Head says gut wrenching loss in the last 2 mins to the clan.

Ja both our fetchers playing Voddas. The closest we have is Carr and he isnt on the bench. I hate playing without them but Coetzee seems to know better. Will see if this will cost us but so far Kolisi have been great. Also like to see Elstadt plays to the pill, he sure show his worth last year arriving quick at the breakdowns and creating havoc. He is a big defender and pretty quick for such a big unit. There are a lot of youth in the oven, Etsebeth also have been great and can expect that he and Thompson will meet in some brutal manner.

 

[tranquility]

I see that JP Du Plessis has been included in the squad for this tour. I was always disappointment that we could never get the best from him, as he seemed to have the credentials to become another Clyde Rathbone. It is also interesting that he came over with big wraps, was hopeless over here, but has come home again to big wraps in the pre-season and Vodacom cup games. Could it be difference in playing structures? or just simply that the boy was shy / homesick? Either way I hope he gets his career back on track and starts doing well, because he took a humungous risk coming to Australia when it was all seemingly in front of him in SA, and unfortunately he has come back with very little from his gamble.

 

[p.Tah]

unfortunately he has come back with very little from his gamble.

Why he left SA to play for the Roosters is beyond me. I think he may have been spun some BS

 

[PaarlBok]

I see that JP Du Plessis has been included in the squad for this tour. I was always disappointment that we could never get the best from him, as he seemed to have the credentials to become another Clyde Rathbone. It is also interesting that he came over with big wraps, was hopeless over here, but has come home again to big wraps in the pre-season and Vodacom cup games. Could it be difference in playing structures? or just simply that the boy was shy / homesick? Either way I hope he gets his career back on track and starts doing well, because he took a humungous risk coming to Australia when it was all seemingly in front of him in SA, and unfortunately he has come back with very little from his gamble.

Ja I do get JPs dad a lot , his smaller Boet (Muller) is in my laaities school class. JP did play well thus far in the Voddas and still maybe one year to early in SA measurements for S15. Understand the Stormers coaches are impressed with his workrate off the field and sure it will pay dividends for us. Saw they already are talking about Johann (Sadie) wie? in Stormers circles. Sadie havent perform just yet for the Brutes like he did last year for the Stormers.

 

[PaarlBok]

Why he left SA to play for the Roosters is beyond me. I think he may have been spun some BS

Your welcome to follow his foor steps from the day they catrolled him in from Paul Roos about two years back. I have been posting about him since then.

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/community/threads/develope-rugby-skills-the-jp-du-plessis-way.6585/

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/community/threads/aus-league-start-to-look-in-sa-for-talent.3985/

and the one on Tim Lane's kid, he will debut for the Reds this weekend

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/community/threads/tim-lanes-kid.3899/

and Ruaan Smith , who is also playing somewhere in Australia at the moment

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/community/threads/paarl-gym-150th-year-ruaan-smith.3260/

My bit of spy work for the Aussies.

 

[tranquility]

Thanks for those Paarl.

I remember reading them at the time, but I didn't realise just how good the kid was (Lane). Will be very interesting to see what happens to all three. There could be a documentary in the making in a few years.

 

[tigerland12]

This will be a true test of where the Stormers are as genuine favourites. They have the team to do it, I'm backing them in a close one.

 

[No4918]

Very good performance though the tries came from a couple of pieces of individual brilliance. Can't see the Crusaders doing them next week after coming back from SA.

So how do you get through that defence?