Willie Engelbrecht celebrates with teammate Marvin Orie Willie Engelbrecht of Stormers celebrates with teammate Marvin Orie. Picture: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
Cape Town - The Stormers are currently in fine form, especially on home soil, in the two international club rugby competitions they are competing in.
They've won a combined 22 home games on the trot in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup, and saw some success overseas too with the latest being a draw against Irish powerhouse Leinster in the URC.
This weekend, though, another tough match, against Exeter at Sandy Park, is on the cards, in a quarter-final clash that could take them to the semi-finals of European elite club rugby. The Stormers disposed of another English club this past weekend when they beat Harlequins in the Round of 16 to progress to the quarters.
They scored some brilliant tries on Saturday afternoon at the DHL Stadium, but the playing conditions in England will probably not help them in their bid to play attractive rugby.
But the Cape side will do everything they can to keep playing in the same fashion. And, they have set their sights on progressing further in the Champions Cup even though every game from here on out will be away from home.
Steven Kitshoff, the Stormers captain, says their coach, John Dobson, motivates them during meetings with a single picture of them playing in the final of the Champions Cup.
"Dobbo shows a photo in the meetings with a Stormers v Toulouse Heineken Cup final (written on it). That's something we work towards, we want to go as far as possible in the tournament," Kitshoff said.
"To be honest, these guys will go out fighting every weekend and try to go all the way and get the cup. It's similar when it comes to the URC. We will keep fighting all the way.”
The team is preparing for a big tussle with former Champions Cup winners Exeter this weekend.
The Premiership side won their first title in 2021 after defeating favourites Racing 92 in a tight contest, so they know what to expect in the play-offs of the tournament. The Stormers, on the other hand, will be breaking new ground in their first quarter-final in the Champions Cup.
Exeter progressed after beating French side Montpellier on a try-countback in their 33-all draw. Exeter scored five tries to four in front of their home crowd.
With a handful of South Africans in their squad, including former Western Province player Jacques Vermeulen, and Junior Bok Jannes Kirsten, this will be a difficult game to navigate.
But, the Stormers will be up for the challenge.
Kitshoff added that they are learning quite a lot from playing against the European sides.
"If you look at the rankings, the No 1 and two (in the world) are Ireland and France, it's teams you get to play against in the Heineken Cup.
"The more frequently you play against these teams, the more you start to understand their style of rugby. In the bigger picture, us as South Africans playing in the Northern Hemisphere, it's a big benefit looking at our international season as well.
"Credit must also go to our coaches on how our season has been run (in terms of resting players). It's been better run than previous years."
@Leighton_K
IOL Sport