Stormers must be razor-sharp against Tigers, says Snyman

Being razor-sharp on attack and capitalising on every scoring opportunity that comes their way will be crucial for the Stormers when they face Leicester Tigers in Cape Town on Saturday, attack coach Dawie Snyman says.

After slumping to a heavy 61-10 defeat against Harlequins in London last week, the Stormers need a win over Leicester at the Cape Town Stadium to clinch a home last 16 berth in the Investec Champions Cup (kickoff 5.15pm).

The Stormers were guilty of missing out on scoring chances against the Bulls in their previous United Rugby Championship clash, and Snyman wants the Stormers to sharpen up in that department.

“It’s an area [attack] you are always going to work on,” he said.

“I think against the Bulls, we had two open trylines, and we missed those ones in Cape Town.

“Against Harlequins, we had two nice momentum carries in the 22 before the ball was turned over, and we finished five metres from our own line. It’s an area of the game we always pride ourselves on and want to do well in, and it is what the faithful want to see when we play at home. We will try and sharpen it up.”

The Stormers were given a boost ahead of Saturday’s clash with the return of centre Ruhan Nel to training.

Leicester now becomes a really big game at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, and it’s in our hands. If we win the game, we should host a playoff
— John Dobson, Stormers coach

“Ruhan brings a lot, not just defensively but also as a leader,” Snyman said. “That kind of presence helps settle things when you’re under pressure. It wasn’t a great performance against Harlequins last week.

“We were under pressure, and we beat ourselves in one or two key moments. The manner of the loss against Harlequins wasn’t ideal. That said, it’s our job now to fix those areas and make sure we get it right.”

Stormers hooker Andre-Hugo Venter said conceding turnovers at the breakdown had been a key factor in the heavy defeat against Harlequins.

“As soon as you start getting momentum and then lose the ball, it’s frustrating,” he said. “A lot of it came down to the breakdown. Those turnovers just killed our momentum and made it hard to get any fluency.”

Venter says the Stormers must feed off home support at the Cape Town Stadium.

“There’s always that pressure, but we want to go out and perform and secure our playoff for the round of 16,” he said. “We have a really good culture, and we will try our best to reach our goals. It’s about putting our best foot forward and taking control of what we can control.”

“Playing at home makes a massive difference. The energy from the crowd gives you that extra push when it gets tough. If you go overseas, they always have that sense of home-ground advantage because they have smaller stadiums, so they mostly sell out. That has a huge impact on the game.”

With all the Stormers’ big-name stars, including flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, expected to return to action on Saturday, the Cape side will fancy their chances of getting the job done against their English Premiership rivals.

“Leicester now becomes a really big game at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, and it’s in our hands,” Stormers coach John Dobson said. “If we win the game, we should host a playoff.”