Rito: Stormers seek quick redemption

Forwards coach Rito Hlungwani believes the Stormers can put right last weekend’s loss when they take on the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.

The Stormers’ eight-match winning start to the Vodacom URC ended with a disappointing 30-19 defeat to the Durbanites at a sold-out Cape Town Stadium.

“It’s a unique situation,” Hlungwani said of the back-to-back coastal derbies. “Instead of waiting three or four months, you get an opportunity straight away to deal with your mistakes and fix them.”

Hlungwani confirmed there are still some injury concerns, but said the Stormers would be able to welcome back key personnel.

“Salmaan [Moerat] didn’t train today, and if you don’t train on a Tuesday you’re highly unlikely to play,” he said. “Evan [Roos] and Adre [Smith] both trained, which is definitely a big positive for us.”

Hlungwane admitted Roos’ late withdrawal last week hurt them.

“Evan gives us power, a high work rate and go-forward. He’s someone we definitely missed and we’re hoping to have him back this week.”

Looking back at the loss, Hlungwane was frank about where the Stormers fell short.

“Before we even mention the opponents, our standards dropped,” he said. “There were things that had nothing to do with the Sharks – skew throws, an overthrow, a poor lift. Those are things on our side that we want to improve.”

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Springbok loose forward Ben-Jason Dixon echoed that sentiment.

“If you watch as a supporter, you might think we were well beaten, but we don’t feel we’re too far off,” he said. “We believe we’re competitive and that we can beat them in those areas.”

Dixon highlighted lineouts as a major focus, but felt there were positives despite the loss.

“That’s one of the areas where they edged us. We want to fix that because we know we can be much better.

“Our general work rate was good – kick chase, getting back on defence, long defensive sets. Those things went well and give us confidence going into this weekend.”

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Hlungwane added that humid conditions in Durban will not change their approach. There is also a forecast of thundershowers which may make for tricky handling.

“Our game model can adapt to all types of conditions,” he said. “It’s not about changing things, it’s about executing our roles and chasing our standards.”

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images