The Stormers will have to improve on several facets of play if they want to beat a confident Benetton outfit when the sides meet in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash in Cape Town on Saturday.
That was the word from Stormers and Springboks number eight Evan Roos after they delivered an indifferent performance in their previous match against Connacht last weekend.
Although the Stormers clinched a 34-29 victory in that encounter at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, they were given a huge fright as Connacht crossed the whitewash in the game’s dying moments, only for the score to be disallowed for an infringement in the build-up.
Benetton seal crucial win over the Lions
Earlier on Saturday, Benetton clinched a 42-31 triumph against the Lions in Johannesburg – a result which elevated them to fifth position in the URC standings, just one point ahead of the Stormers, who occupy eighth spot in the table.
Roos identified defence as one of the Stormers’ weaknesses against Connacht and said they will have to improve in that department if they want to get the better of their Italian opponents.
“We as the players said it wasn’t good enough. I want to say we were lucky to win,” he admitted.
“I think we did work hard, we weren’t clinical enough in terms of defence, so that was the point of this week. We sorted out all the small things and we will have full confidence going into this match against Benetton.”
Stormers’ healthy headache as Springboks star Manie Libbok set for timely return
Springboks captain hails ‘scary’ Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu after ‘bailing’ the Stormers out
Confidence will be high in Benetton’s ranks following their victory over the Lions and Roos is preparing for a titanic battle.
“The Italians are a very passionate people, very proud of their rugby and their country so I feel it will be a physical match,” said the 25-year-old.
‘Great opportunity to show what we can do’
“There are quality players who work hard so that’s the type of things we live for – good rugby matches and top rugby matches over the weekend. It’s another great opportunity to show what we can do.”
Meanwhile, the men from the Cape’s forwards coach Rito Hlungwani revealed that the Stormers are working on their defence and set-piece play to complement their strengths.
“We are in good spirits and we want to continue preparing so we can face Benetton with full confidence,” he said.
“I am sure you would have seen, they put the Lions’ line-out under pressure. They contest everywhere on the field. They contest on their five, they contest on your five. They like putting a lot of pressure on the set-piece.”
READ MORE: Stormers boss ‘hopes’ Springboks star is not finished after horror injury
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/springboks-star-pinpoints-stormers-areas-of-improvement-after-lucky-win-over-connacht
