[ad_1]
- The Stormers begin their 2020 Super Rugby Unlocked campaign against the Lions on Saturday night.
- The Capetonians are starting their final leg of games at the iconic Newlands Stadium.
- Captain Siya Kolisi says the team has disappointed their fans in their Super Rugby performances over the years.
Captain He is a school he says Stormers historically they have disappointed their fans with poor performances in Super Rugby.
The Capetonians have made the playoffs in competition five times in the past 10 years, including the loss in the famous 2010 final against the Bulls in Soweto, but they have never reached the full distance.
Now, with a move into European competition in the form of an expanded PRO16 competition on the cards next year, South African franchises will almost certainly have finished with Super Rugby after 25 years of playing in the southern hemisphere’s premier club competition. .
It gives the seven-team Super Rugby Unlocked competition, which started last weekend, an additional injection of flavor as this could be the last time the best in the country compete together under the Super Rugby banner.
For the Stormers, who begin their campaign in Newlands against the Lions on Saturday night, this is also their last run at their iconic venue before moving to Cape Town Stadium next year.
Under the leadership of coach John Dobson, the message is clear: come out as winners.
“I think we have disappointed our fans a lot, almost every year, especially in Super Rugby,” Kolisi said this week in preparation for the match.
“That’s one of the things that we want to make sure, that we finish strong as a team. We talk about it openly. They are facts and you can’t hide from them. We have to do something about it and rectify it.
“There is no excuse anymore to say we didn’t make it because of this or that. It’s about what we wear and our way of thinking, making sure we’re all in this to win.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s good rugby or not. If we’re winning, that’s all that matters to us at the moment.”
The Stormers will play in Newlands during the Super Rugby Unlocked and Currie Cup competitions and Kolisi says the goal is to host the Currie Cup final on January 16, 2021.
“We all decided as a team that whenever we have the opportunity to play at Newlands, we want to make it special. It is a great motivation for us to make sure we finish strong,” he said.
“Our goal is to have the last game in Newlands.
“We want to win the competition.
“I know it’s going to be tough not having the Newlands faithful here, but at the end of the day we know they’ll be happy, whether they’re here or not, if we bring the trophy home.
“That is what we have decided as a group and we are not going to shy away from it. At some point things will not turn out the way we want in the games, but we still have our same mission to do our best and win this competition.” . “
Teams:
Stormers
15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Dan du Plessis, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Ernst van Rhyn, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Substitutes: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Chris van Zyl, 20 Nama Xaba, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Michal Haznar, 23 Tim Swiel
Lions
15 EW Viljoen, 14 Jamba Ulengo, 13 Burger Odendaal, 12 Dan Kriel, 11 Rabz Maxwane, 10 Elton Jantjies (captain), 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Len Massyn, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Sti Sithole
Substitutes (from): 16 Jan-Henning Campher, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Wiehahn Herbst, 19 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 20 MJ Pelser, 21 Hacjivah Dayimani, 22 Ross Cronje, 23 Gianni Lombard, 24, Wandisile Simelane, 25 Ruan Dreyer
