Stormers fired up for Cardiff flourish

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DHL Stormers flank Nama Xaba is relishing the challenge of ending a three-match tour in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship with victory over Cardiff on Saturday.

The defending URC champions were held to a 16-16 draw by Ospreys at a rain-lashed Swansea Stadium on Friday, after kicking off their overseas leg with a bonus-point win over Zebre.

The stalemate in Wales ended a 14-match winning run for the Stormers in the URC, but a win in Cardiff will set up John Dobson’s men for a clash with the Emirates Lions at Ellis Park next week, before the international break.

Asked this week if there is pressure on the Stormers to win on Saturday, Xaba said: “No, not really. We need to get to our level of preparation and not see the pressure. We’ve fixed what we think were the problems [from Friday] and we’re confident going into the game.

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“Everything felt like a contest. There were times where I felt they had the upper hand and that’s something for me personally to work on – and not only the defensive breakdown, but our offensive work as well.”

On the lessons learned in Swansea, forwards coach Rito Hlungwani added: “The weather played a role for both sides. We felt we were not as good as we could have been, and that’s the focus: to sharpen up where we didn’t do well.

“Mauling was a part of it and a bit around the breakdown. But we feel we didn’t play to our potential. The boys tried really hard under conditions and circumstances last week.”

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Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix

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Devin Hermanus