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South Africa’s conference leading Stormers travel to Dunedin to face the surprising Highlanders in Super Rugby Round 7. Join us here on The Roar from 5:35pm (AEDT) for live scores and updates.
The Highlanders will look to break their six game losing streak against the Cape side today, whilst the Stormers will try to impose their mighty pack at set piece time, to stifle the elusive South Islanders.
The home side the pushed top-of-the-table Hurricanes close last weekend. After a dour opening half, the game opened up, but the Canes just held on for a 20-13 win.
The Dunedin side thought they had snatched a draw with the last play of the game, only for the ref to blow a forward pass in the lead-up.
This has been a good season for the South Island squad, even though they lost at home to the Crusaders. The Landers won in Hamilton and beat the defending champion Waratahs. Any team that has Aaron Smith, Malakai Fekitoa, Fijian-born Waiseke Naholo, Patrick Osborne, and Ben Smith in the backline is going to pose problems for the opposition.
Super Rugby allows no respite. The Stormers will provide a stern test, with their brute force cohesion and precise kicking game.
The good news for the boys from Cape Town is that they are coming off a bye, and are relatively healthy. The bad news is a) it took them four days to get to Queenstown, b) they face the Highlanders without inspirational captain (and Norse god) Duane ‘Thor’ Vermeulen (he is resting pursuant to SARU’s sort-of-mandatory policy), and c) the Proteas lost to the Black Caps, which some would take as an omen.
There have been no issues with the Stormers’ scrum. Vincent Koch, Frans Malherbe, and Steven Kitshoff are as good a trio of young props as you’ll find in any club, in any tournament. However the Cape side has struggled at the breakdown. Nizaam Carr and Siya Kolisi are fast loose forwards, but have battled to clean out opponents, and the Stormers have undersized hookers.
The Highlanders’ set pieces have not been as weak as in years past, and are lethal on the counter. It will be important for the Stormers not to get in 10-phase defensive alignments; those can work against the Lions or the Bulls, but not the Smith brothers.
The Highlanders will need to be solid against the Cape side, because if given space, Damian de Allende and stand-in skipper Juan de Jongh can make breaks in the midfield.
Alister Coetzee and his backline coach Robbie Fleck may be bereft of innovative attacking plans, but they are good guys to have a beer with, while affable Highlander coach Jamie Joseph played 20 times for the All Blacks, and when he was the New Zealand Maori coach, he claimed an English scalp. Advantage Highlanders on the coaching front.
The home side should be favoured by less than three points, but something about this match suggests the unexpected. I’ll go out on a limb and predict a squeaking win by the visitors.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.