Stormers yet to beat Sharks at Durban Since 2004
Kings Park Stadium will be hosting the Super XV 2011 the unbeaten team on coming Friday.
Stormers, who are placed on top of the combined table with 25 points and are also currently leading the South African conference, will take up the Sharks in their home ground. The match would be exciting and entertaining as a total sell out is expected for
the ABSA stadium for this Saturday’s game.
Sharks are currently second in the South African congress and placed at number four position in the combined table with two loses under their belt in the season.
Stormers with their current form and an attack that finally appears to find its rhythm will start as the favourites. Stormers although are unbeaten but were able to score their first bonus point on the back of their attacks best game in this season when
they over power the western force by 51 – 16.
Yet Stormers will be varying of the fact that they need to show their best beat the Sharks in their home ground, in front of massive crowd who will definitely be cheering even a single sprint. Not only on attack but also the defence and the work of defence
could easily be doubled if Patrick Lambie is declared fit to take part in the game, alongside the likes of Jacques-Louis Potgieter who has shown his class in the match against the Crusaders.
While Stormers are in habit of making two to three changes per game, Allister Coetzee will be hoping for the availability of his best XV to overcome the challenge. Sharks have not lost to Stormers in Durban since 2004 and stats such as these would require
Stormers to come with something extra, their full throttle for that matter to transcend through the Durban barrier.
Unfortunately, the Stormers would enter the encounter without the services of their Flanker Pieter Louw. Pieter Louw was forced off the field in 20th minute of their game against the Western Force during their encounter at Cape Town during last
week.
Louw has been ruled out of the rest of the season after the X-Rays has revealed an injury on his knees. Doctors have suggested the surgery for his knee injury that would most probably take three to four months to recover.
However, the good news for the Stormers is the return of their Captain Schalk Burger who has recovered from the Knee Injury and has been practicing hard with the team since past two weeks particularly he had a hard training session with the team as part
of their preparation for the match against the Western Force. Rynhardt Elstadt who was unable to take part in their last game will be back for Sharks game.
Rynhardt Elstadt was phenomenal for Stormers against their game with the Bulls but had a swelling on the ankle after the game. Stormers who have been able to find good replacements were not affected by his absence that provided Rynhardt Elstadt with the
time to recover from the ankle niggles.
Stormers will start with their captain and Rynhardt Elstadt however the task of overcoming the Sharks challenge at Durban would be tremendous and would be nothing short of being exceptional if Stormers pull of their consecutive Sixth win in the Super XV
particularly at Kings Park.
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