The Chiefs indicated that they would try and pressure the Stormers flyhalf channel when the sides meet in the Super Rugby quarterfinal at Newlands on Saturday. The home team will start with either Brandon Thomson or Rob du Preez after Jean-Luc du Plessis was ruled out with an ankle injury.And between Thomson and Du Preez they only have six Super Rugby caps and just two starts. All Black flyhalf and World Cup winner Aaron Cruden will be opposing the Stormers and the vastly experienced pivot was quick to ramp up the pressure on his callow opponents. “With a young flyhalf‚ I guess it’s the guys around him that need to step up now‚” Cruden said from the Chiefs’ Cape Town hotel. “We’ll study him (Thomson) in the next few days and look at his strengths and weaknesses to see where we can exploit him. “But saying that‚ he has a couple of sharp midfielders outside him who are doing a great a job‚ so we have to nullify them. “I suppose there is more pressure on the halfbacks in these games because they are the controllers and the drivers of the team. When it comes down to finals‚ you really want to control how your team is moving around the paddock and I’m very aware of that. "We’ve been in the play-offs the last few years and fallen at this stage‚ so we want to make amends for that.” Chiefs coach Dave Rennie unsurprisingly singled out Stormers lock Eben Etzebeth as one of the key threats his side will have to nullify at the weekend‚ while also praising his forwards for their efforts this year. "With the match expected to be played in wet conditions‚ the forward battle becomes even more crucial. “We have some smart plans‚ we think‚ to counter their lineout‚” Rennie said. “Etzebeth is a fantastic athlete and the pressure they put on there has choked teams‚ so we have to get around that‚ but it’s not easy. “You’ve got to mix up your game-plan‚ but we don’t want to get into a kicking duel and kick for the sake of it. If it’s on‚ we want to have a crack we will do that because the expectation is that the Stormers will kick some ball on us. “The Stormers have been impressive this year‚” Rennie said. “They have a big pack with good athletes who carry hard‚ so we know what to expect. They are playing a good style of rugby too‚ so it will be a big challenge. “We both understand it’s do-or-die. “I haven’t studied them as much as other teams throughout the season because we have been on the other side of the draw‚ but they have always been a team that wants to play‚ and also play the game in the right end of the field. “They have an impressive defensive line and a big scrum. The question is will they still try to play in the rain?” - TMG Digital..