Stormers aim to regain aura at Ellis Park as URC SA Shield race reaches boiling point

The Stormers are not only determined to stay in the hunt for the South African Shield, but are equally intent on restoring their aura after back-to-back defeats in their last two United Rugby Championship (URC) clashes dented their momentum and pride.

They will return to action on Saturday when they face a resurgent Lions at Ellis Park (2.30pm start), knowing that only a victory will guarantee them a fighting chance to reclaim the title as South Africa’s top franchise. The Stormers also need the Bulls to beat the Sharks in the late game on Saturday afternoon to stay in contention.

While they will keep one eye on the Shield battle, the overall goal is to get back to winning ways.

According to Stormers hooker JJ Kotze, the next two SA derbies will be vital for them. The Cape side will also travel to Loftus Versfeld on 14 March for a North-South derby against the Bulls.

The 26-year-old will run out in his 50th match for the Stormers on Saturday, should he take the field.

“If you look at how the Shield stands, the next two matches are super important for us,” Kotze said.

“However, it is not just about the Shield, but we want to get our standards back up to where they were at the start of the competition. We ticked a few boxes and left a few unticked against the Sharks in Durban and Cape Town.

“It is important for us to get back to the things we do well and gain that momentum again. We know we will have to run at Ellis Park. We had a tough but good week of training. Now it is all about recovering.”

According to Kotze, they worked especially hard on the lineout issue that recently reared its head against the Sharks. Before the two derbies, the Stormers’ lineout was operating at a high efficiency rate. However, they were easily read by the Durbanites, which led to some struggles on their own throw-in.

In the match at DHL Stadium, the Stormers lost a host of lineouts within striking distance of the Sharks’ try line. Kotze and his fellow hookers are determined to cut out those errors at Ellis Park and Loftus.

The couple of weeks off due to the Six Nations Championship gave the pack of forwards time to work on their shortcomings.

“It is something we worked on. At the start of the tournament, we were good, and then we started lacking, especially against the Sharks. We just want to bring the focus back to our basics and get the standards back to where they were.”