Stormers wary of rested Lions ahead of URC derby despite unbeaten European momentum

The Lions may be licking their wounds after a second straight Challenge Cup defeat, but the Stormers know the team arriving in Cape Town on Saturday will be a very different beast as the United Rugby Championship (URC) local derbies roar back into life.

Following an eighth victory of the season, which sees them remain unbeaten in all competitions, the Cape side will have a big target on their back as they head into a crucial stage of their URC campaign from this weekend.

The Stormers secured a bonus-point 42-21 victory over La Rochelle in Gqeberha this past Saturday. It leaves them atop Pool 3 in the Champions Cup, with two more matches to play in January before the knockout stages.

However, they know their performance against the French club was not where they wanted it to be, despite scoring six tries. With the European competition on the backburner for now, their attention has already shifted to what awaits when the URC resumes against the struggling Johannesburg side.

The Lions rested their top players for the derby at the DHL Stadium, and those flying down to the Mother City should be unaffected by their recent loss in England against the Newcastle Red Bulls. An inexperienced Lions side put in a below-par performance to lose 14-10 after dominating most of the contest.

John Dobson, Stormers director of rugby, was naturally pleased after dispatching La Rochelle, but said they had looked at the Lions well ahead of the second European contest. He said his team will be motivated to play in front of their home crowd for the first time since late October.

“We know this performance won’t beat a fired-up Lions team in Cape Town, let alone a Bulls side,” Dobson said.

“In terms of learnings and outcomes, this was a perfect game. As coaches, we had a good look at the Lions already and what we can expect. We know Henco (van Wyk) gets the most contact metres. Quan Horn (fullback) makes line breaks, and we know how effective they can be at the breakdown and in winning turnovers.

“We’ve played this Lions team a couple of times before and know how dangerous they can be, especially at altitude when things get loose. They made their intentions clear by resting key players, showing that they want to target this game. We’ve done the same in previous seasons.

“They are coming, and suddenly the game feels a little more intense. But we won’t be lacking any intensity. They will get lots of things from us, but that is where we will challenge the Lions.”

The Stormers’ backline attacked with intent, although there were a few errors when they forced things against La Rochelle, but the visitors can brace themselves for an onslaught on Saturday. Halfbacks Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu delivered a sublime performance, putting the Capetonians on the front foot.

They were involved in the origin of most of the six tries their team scored. Winger Dylan Maart dotted down twice, while fellow speedster Leolin Zas also crossed the whitewash early in the game.

Up-front, the forwards provided a strong scrummaging platform, and fetcher Paul de Villiers put in a Player of the Match performance from a defensive and jackal perspective. He is quietly making the Stormers’ No 6 jersey his own.