Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani has stated that he expects a "brutal" Investec Champions Cup clash against Harlequins on Sunday. Hlungwani said that the Stormers’ goal is to go to London to compete and win, as a victory is extremely important for securing a potential home playoff and home quarter-final.
Hlungwani emphasised that despite a recent string of losses, Harlequins are a quality team, especially at home, and the Stormers will not be taking them lightly. He said that he expects a very physical match, particularly in the scrums and mauls, and acknowledged that the cold weather conditions will be a factor.
“They’re going through a tough time, but they’re still a quality team, especially at home,” he said. “We’re expecting a brutal game in very cold conditions. They have very good players, and they’ll be desperate.”
“But we’re going there to compete and in the perfect world, come out with a win. It’s a game we really, really want to win, especially going forward into this competition. It will help us get the home playoff, hopefully a home quarter-final”
He praised his Stormers’ "fight" and rugby intelligence in their recent win over the Bulls, where they successfully adapted their tactics on the field after the Bulls altered their maul defence.
“It was a very tough game, a lot of sore bodies out there,” Hlungwani said. “I was really proud of the boys. We weren’t perfect, there were mistakes, but I always judge the group on their fight, and there was no shortage of that.”
“We prepared for one picture, and we got a completely different one on the day. The Bulls changed how they defended the maul, put pressure on us in a way we hadn’t trained for that week. The players had to adapt on the field, without messages coming from the sideline, and they did that. That showed real growth and rugby intelligence.”
Following an intense North-South derby against the Bulls on Saturday, the Stormers have several "sore bodies," according to Hlungwani.
“The doc is still going to come in and give us a full report on Ali Vermaak, but it wasn’t looking good, and he has gone for scans. It didn’t look like a small injury. It looks like something that can rule him out for quite a long time, but I am sure Dobbo will give more details later in the week.”
“He had a moon boot on, so it’s around the ankle. It could be anything, ankle, calf, or Achilles, so we are just waiting for the doc to confirm.”