DHL Stormers tighthead prop Neethling Fouché made it clear that the Cape Town side is entirely focused on rectifying the mistakes that led to their 22-16 defeat against Cardiff Rugby just two weeks prior at Cardiff Arms Park.
The United Rugby Championship quarter-final clash against Cardiff is scheduled for a 15:30 (SA Time) kick-off.
Fouché pushed back against any narrative that Cardiff struggles away from home, noting they are in the top six for a reason and don't fall apart on grass. He dismissed claims that a return to a natural grass surface gives the Stormers an automatic advantage, warning that such a mindset makes players rest on their laurels.
“We are prepping for a team that beat us two weeks ago, so we have to be better. They were better than us. They picked us off on defence.”
"There’s no real chat in the group or from the coaches about, ‘we’re playing on grass now, we’re not playing on 4G’. That can make you rest on your laurels. It’s about having plans and executing them.”
The Stormers struggled to secure possession in Wales, heavily disrupted by loose forwards like Dan Thomas.
“They got the better of us,” Fouché said. “Dan Thomas got the better of us, and their captain also got one or two steals. We’ve looked at that.”
"As players, you have certain roles going into a breakdown, and you have to execute those roles. They were quite street smart around when to go and when not to go, so we’ll have to be ready for that this weekend and know there’s going to be a breakdown battle.”
Despite gaining the upper hand in the scrums during their regular-season finale, Fouché expects a fierce "revenge mission" from the Cardiff pack under coach Corniel van Zyl.
“Coach Corniel is sharp. He would have analysed the scrums closely, and we expect a stronger effort there this time.”
“We know they will be better and will come with a plan.”
