Former Springboks and Stormers skipper Corne Krige has identified some key factors which have led to the Cape Town-based outfit’s mediocre form in this season’s United Rugby Championship (URC).
John Dobson’s charges were crowned champions during the inaugural URC in 2022 before finishing as runners-up to Munster in 2023, and both those finals were played in Cape Town.
It’s highly unlikely that there will be a third URC final in the city this year as the Stormers currently occupy sixth position in the standings and are in a battle to finish in the top four on the table in order to secure a home quarter-final.
Dobson rang the changes to his starting XV for last week’s encounter with the Ospreys in Cape Town and the end result was a shock 27-21 defeat for the home side.
‘You can never underestimate anybody’
According to Krige, there was a significant response against that during a URC online roundtable. “You can never underestimate anybody in the BKT URC, but it goes without saying that everyone was really disappointed with the loss.
“We didn’t play well that day, but I don’t think we underestimated them. We made a lot of errors and knock-ons and failed to keep the ball in play
“We always try to toss the ball about and have a fun game. We enjoy messy, open games because they present opportunity.
Nevertheless, we were unable to group any phases together due to the disarray.
“It disappoints me as a Stormers fan because they couldn’t do the fundamentals correctly.
However, you can only play to the extent that you are permitted to.
The Stormers can scarcely afford to lose to Leinster, who are atop the table and lost to the Lions in Johannesburg last week, again this coming Saturday.
Krige anticipates an interesting match between the Stormers and the Irish province, as both sides are eager to get back to winning ways.
“There’s no doubt that it will be an excellent contest,” the 39-cap Springbok stated.
“I believe that Leinster will be in pain following that significant Lions defeat. Even if they didn’t put their first team out there, that truly caught me off guard.
During their current URC campaign, the Stormers have lost six of their 14 league games, and Krige thinks there are a few key factors that have contributed to that.
“We lost a great deal of our team’s experience with Steven Kitshoff’s departure, I believe. The 49-year-old remarked, “He is an amazing leader.
And now everyone is aware of our style of play. Since no one expected anything from them, they won the BKT URC in their debut year. To be honest, no one really knew anything about our style of play.
We simply pass the ball about in the back after maintaining parity up front. Individuals have begun to observe our game and comment on how they can exert pressure on us.
There are moments when I think we ought to play a tighter, more cautious game. However, I don’t think that will change because fans enjoy seeing them play thrilling rugby.
Backing the Stormers to reach third final
Despite his former team’s indifferent form, Krige feels they can reach their third successive URC final.
“They are still in the mix. They are right in there, still top six,” he added.
“They are a very dangerous team. You can never underestimate them. They are very resilient and they have got an incredible coach who knows how to motivate them.
“But it’s going to be tough if they don’t get in the top four. It will be very hard if they have to go away in the play-offs.”
