Stormers need to sharpen defence to trouble Chiefs

The Stormers have shown they can score tries this season‚ which is a positive development‚ but they have occasionally lost defensive shape in their quest.

It’s an aspect of their game they admit they will have to sharpen up when they take on the Chiefs at Newlands on Saturday.

The Super Rugby quarterfinal is a repeat of last year‚ when the Stormers lost 60-21 to the Chiefs at Newlands.

This year they beat the Chiefs 34-26 in Cape Town in Pool play and have also beaten the Blues at home. So far the Cape side has scored 64 tries in 15 Pool matches‚ which has included matches against the five New Zealand franchises.

It’s an impressive return when measured against their 2016 form when they scored 49 tries in the Pool phase without playing against a team from NZ.

But the Stormers haven’t always been as effective on defence this season‚ with 61 tries leaked as opposed to the 28 at the same stage season.

Of course last year they weren’t exposed to the ruthlessness of NZ’s attacking game. In five matches against Australian opponents in 2016 the Stormers conceded a respectable 12 tries.

In five matches against Kiwi teams this season‚ the Stormers have leaked 30 tries – nearly half their tally for the year.

It illustrates the battle they will have when they meet the Chiefs for a second time in Super Rugby in 2017.

“We were happy with our tempo and intensity against the Bulls [the Stormers won 41-33 at Loftus last Saturday]‚ which were two of the goals we wanted to achieve in the game‚” coach Robbie Fleck said.

“We purposely didn’t kick out because we wanted a high number of minutes with the ball in play and we wanted to constantly be in the game and put them under pressure with their fitness.

“We also wanted to get our physicality right and we certainly did that. But individual errors let us down and that allowed the Bulls to stay in the game and get back at us.

“That is an area we have to address because we leaked some soft tries. Those were defensive errors. We can’t give Kiwi teams time and space so we will have to get off the line quickly and shut them down.”

Fleck believes the experience of competing against NZ teams during the 2017 Pool phase will benefit his team.

“This year we have played against NZ teams throughout the season and so we are way better prepared than we were 12 months ago‚” Fleck said.

“We are fitter‚ we’re better balanced and we have improved our skill levels‚ and those were all things that were questions marks against us.

“Playing five NZ teams‚ three away from home‚ has been good experience for all our players but especially the young players.

“Beating two NZ teams at home this season is a boost for us and has given us a lot of confidence.”

- TimesLIVE