Stormers forced to ruck and roll with the punches

Fourie's not a jolly good fellow as he misses out on URC semifinal

12 May 2023 - 15:11
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Flank Deon Fourie and lock Marvin Orie are consigned to the sidelines as their teammates prepare for battle in the semifinals of the URC at Cape Town Stadium.
Flank Deon Fourie and lock Marvin Orie are consigned to the sidelines as their teammates prepare for battle in the semifinals of the URC at Cape Town Stadium.
Image: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

Against a team of great proficiency at the ruck and packed with mongrel, the Stormers could have done with the services of Deon Fourie and Marvin Orie for their semifinal against Connacht on Saturday.

As it turns out, both forwards have lost their battle to regain fitness for the clash at Cape Town Stadium, with the coaching staff hoping to have their services should the Grand Final become a reality.

Losing Fourie to a dodgy hamstring and Orie to a shoulder injury is a big deal.

There was an appreciable drop in performance when the Stormers operated without Fourie when he was recuperating from a fractured cheekbone last month.

He returned for last week's quarterfinal against the Bulls, before the hamstring injury forced him off the field early in the second half.

The hosts will be without their most influential presence at the ruck against a team that was particularly combative in that area in their shock quarterfinal win over Ulster last Friday.

The Stormers had hoped Fourie would draw some of Connacht's sting in that department, but the fetcher flank has had to yield to his latest injury.

The loss of Orie denies the Stormers a rare commodity they have recognised in Saturday's opponents — "dawg". As he has developed into a more rounded player, Orie has started to tick all the lock boxes with greater regularity.

He has stacked that on top of the mongrel of which he has never been in short supply.

In flank Willie Engelbrecht, the Stormers partly address potential shortfalls in the ruck and doggedness, while at lock, Ben-Jason Dixon will bring some verve and vigour next to Ruben van Heerden, who has become a towering figure for the team.

The Stormers have also reverted to a five/three split on their bench, which opens a seat for flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis.

The team have had their travails on the road and will relish playing on home soil. On the eve of the match, coach John Dobson said they want to repay the crowd with a fitting performance.

For much of this season, South Africa's teams campaigning in Europe lamented the long-distance travel that has become part of their existence. This week however, the Stormers have luxuriated in home comforts as their opponents trekked 10,055km from Galway.

There is no doubting the debilitating effects of such travel and Connacht too have struggled when they've had to cross a body of water.

Their only away win of any great significance in this season's URC was achieved on the Emerald Island when they upstaged Ulster. Their only other away wins in this campaign came against the Dragons, Ospreys and Zebre Parma, who don't exactly count among the URC's glitterati.

It was a continuation of a theme that started last year when Connacht only downed the Scarlets, Benetton and the Lions on the road.

There is however, clear evidence of Connacht's upswing in form. Though they lost away to Glasgow Warriors in their last league game, they showed signs of a team playing with more cohesion and that is growing in resolve in their quarterfinal.

The manner in which Connacht achieved victory in Belfast would have left the Stormers a little uneasy, especially when they cast their minds back to the monumental effort it took to down Ulster at the same stage last season.

Teams

Stormers — Damian Willemse; Leolin Zas, Ruhan Nel, Dan du Plessis, Angelo Davids; Manie Libbok, Herschel Jantjies; Evan Roos, Hacjivah Dayimani, Willie Engelbrecht; Ruben van Heerden, Ben-Jason Dixon; Frans Malherbe, Joseph Dweba, Steven Kitshoff (captain). Substitutes: JJ Kotze, Ali Vermaak, Neethling Fouche, Connor Evans, Marcel Theunissen; Paul de Wet, Jean-Luc du Plessis, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Connacht — Tiernan O'Halloran; John Porch, Tom Farrell, Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen; Jack Carty, Caolin Blade; Cian Prendergast, Conor Oliver, Shamus Hurley-Langton; Niall Murray, Josh Murphy; Finlay Bealham, Dave Heffernan, Denis Buckley. Substitutes: Dylan Tierney-Martin, Jordan Duggan, Jack Aungier, Oisín Dowling, Jarrad Butler; Kieran Marmion, Tom Daly, Byron Ralston.

Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)

Assistant referees: Sam Grove-White, Hollie Davidson (both Scotland).

TMO: Ben Blain (Scotland)

Kickoff: 4pm



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