The DHL Stormers know they will need to be on their best behaviour if they hope to make the playoffs of the United Rugby Championship for a fourth straight season.
They take on Irish club Connacht on Saturday at 16:00 at the DHL Stadium, and according to Stormers defence coach, Norman Laker, you can expect to see the Cape side put their best foot forward in terms of discipline.
In their 38-34 loss to Ulster in Belfast, a red card to prop Neethling Fouche for a dangerous no-arms tackle saw the Cape side play almost an entire second half with just 14 players.
In the first half, a hot head moment by Stormers flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, diminished a fine start by the Capetonians after racing into a 17-0 lead as the Springbok rookie shoulder charged Ulster winger Robert Baloucoune.
Stormers Outside The Top Eight
The loss dented the Stormers’ hopes of reaching the URC playoffs as they currently sit in 10 th position on the log, with only the top eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals.
And with four rounds to go, the Stormers need to win all of their remaining games with bonus points. Starting with this weekend’s game against a tough Connacht outfit, before tackling Benetton, Dragons and Cardiff in the weeks to come.
But, after seeing the Stormers come unstuck against Ulster, questions have been raised about the team’s discipline.
Laker: We’re Not Bad Boys
Asked about how discipline had cost them a vital win away from home and if had been addressed ahead of Saturday’s game against Connacht, Laker tells Telecom Asia Sport about how one bad moment does not make the Stormers an ill-disciplined team:
It’s quite funny because after one [bad] game, suddenly our discipline is poor, which is not true. The first six to seven games before [Ulster], we were conceding between six or nine penalties per game which is not too bad.
We always put ourselves out on [conceding] around eight penalties per game because some referees interpret the breakdown [laws] differently.
That game [against Ulster] was a freak one and with the yellow cards conceded you obviously try and do more and if you do more then sometimes it’s not better where you must try to be more effective in an area.
[Against Ulster] we tried to work harder for each other but in actual fact we ended up being a bit stupider in conceding more penalties.
Possible Second-Row Boost For Stormers
Meanwhile, Laker also confirmed that towering lock JD Schickerling has returned from injury and had been practicing with the Stormers team ahead of this week’s clash against Connacht and might be selected in the 23-men playing group that head coach John Dobson announces on Friday.
However, the Cape side’s first-choice flyhalf, Manie Libbok, sadly still remains injured, and winger Seabelo Senatla has to get over an ailment if he wants to put his hand up for selection for the clash against Connacht.
