The first of this season’s coastal derby duology gets underway in the Mother City with the undefeated Stormers playing host to the Hollywoodbets Sharks in the 10th round of the URC on Saturday.
Saturday 24 January Stormers | Draw | Hollywoodbets Sharks Cape Town Stadium
Match context
Victory in Cape Town for the Hollywoodbets Sharks would signal a massive turning point in their season given all that’s happened in a turbulent few months for the franchise. Despite their Champions Cup dream ending prematurely last weekend and falling to a disappointing last-gasp home loss to the Lions in their most recent URC encounter, there’s no question that things have started to look up under the tutelage of JP Pietersen.
Since he took over at the helm a few short weeks ago, there has been a noticeable uplift in “fight” from the Sharks squad – a word the former winger alludes to constantly in his media engagements.
Though the side may still be in the doldrums – languishing in 14th spot overall with five losses from their eight URC meetings – a win over easily the standout team of the competition could be immense in the context of their season, especially considering the recent history between the coastal sides.
The Stormers have triumphed in four of the last five head-to heads and will have their confidence further boosted by the fact that they’ve swept all before them in the tournament so far, collecting a tidy eight wins from eight.
That said, a depleted team were on the receiving end of a thumping 61-10 defeat at Harlequins in round three of the Champions Cup a fortnight ago which, while somewhat offset by a solid win over Leicester Tigers at Cape Town Stadium last week, may provide the Sharks with a blueprint on how to pull off something of their own.
Players to watch
Jordan Hendrikse (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
Hendrikse features in this section for the Sharks for the second week running after producing another mid-level performance in his side’s win over Clermont on the weekend. Although the 24-year-old was good on defence and kicked all four of his goals,
he was guilty of giving away one try after a nothing pass that was intercepted by Kylan Hamdaoui, who duly ran in 45-metres unopposed.
If the Sharks are serious about turning around their season and sneaking into the playoffs, they need more from their man at pivot. A similar performance to the one he put up last week will be punished by a far more competent Stormers team, and coming up against Champions Cup Player of the Season nominee Feinberg-Mngomezulu has the potential to properly expose the former Lions flyhalf.
If his pack is in the mood and can match or even dominate the Capetonians up front, Hendrikse’s decision-making and execution will be under the microscope even more. Fans of the men from the east coast will be hoping he can conjure up something special on Saturday.
Paul de Villiers (Stormers)
With two Springbok-laden forward packs set to leave nothing to the imagination, the breakdown service of either team could make or break their evening, especially with players like de Villiers on the pitch. The 23-year-old Stormers fan favourite continues to excel for his franchise and it’s surely a matter of when not if he is introduced to Rassie Erasmus’ national fold.
The Oakdale product has already picked up four Man of the Match awards this season, and he’ll be targeting a characteristically big innings against the Sharks’ superstar pack. If he can be his typical nuisance-self on the deck and negate the big carriers of the likes of Ox Nche by slowing ball down, he could be the difference-maker.
Tactical overview
Bongi Mbonambi spoke midweek about the potency of the Stormers’ mauling game, with the double World Cup-winner underlining the reputation John Dobson’s side have earned amongst their rivals:
“I think the whole of South Africa knows how good the Stormers are mauling at the moment. And it’s not just this season, they’ve done it in the past seasons also and we know it’s a big weapon for them.
“For us it’s just making sure we get our detail right, the system that we have, and to make sure everyone does their homework, watches the video clips and we might see some opportunity, how to stop it.”
He did go on to stress how confident his team were in their own mauling ability however, and the outcome of that game-within-a-game will be fascinating come kick-off. Despite
the continued absence of Eben Etzebeth, the visitors clearly believe they have enough beef and tactical nous to hold their own in this department, but only time will tell.
Elsewhere, shutting down Sacha and his backline will be a tall order with so much talent in front of him, but it will be up to the Sharks’ loose trio and their engine room to ensure they raise their level of output in appropriate proportion.
Prediction
The Stormers have everything going for them at present, including the rub of the green in the last several coastal derbies. However, the Hollywoodbets Sharks will feel they have a massive point to prove following the results of their Champions Cup pool and, with self-belief in the squad growing all the time, will have enough desire and motivation to upset the applecart and produce a performance befitting of such a talented group. Get on the Durbanites to win on the board and kickstart a true renaissance this season.
