Boosted by the return of Warrick Gelant, the Stormers will look to return to their identity against Glasgow Warriors in Cape Town on Friday after winning the arm-wrestle against the Vodacom Bulls.
The Stormers have been boosted by the availability of Springbok fullback Gelant after he was a late withdrawal from the team that narrowly beat the Bulls 19-17.
After struggling to recover from a finger injury, Gelant was originally named on the bench against the Bulls, but pulled out at the 11th hour. His return could have the Stormers revert to playing Damian Willemse at centre, alongside flyhalf Manie Libbok.
Against the Bulls, the Stormers were forced back into their shells as there was very little space to attack and their only points in the second half came through the boots of Libbok and Willemse.
However, the Stormers currently have a try tally of 49 – the third-highest behind Leinster (65) and Munster (56) – and Ruhan Nel wants to see a return to their identity against Glasgow.
“I don’t think we really want to go away from that style of rugby. That’s what we’re good at, our team ID. We strive to play attractive rugby, and if we could’ve played like that against the Bulls, I’m sure we would’ve,” Nel said.
“But the nature of the game didn’t really allow us to throw the ball around a bit. It was almost like we and the Bulls had a bit of a conservative mindset.”
The Stormers go into Friday night’s match in a healthy position in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship. Currently in fifth place, trailing third-placed Glasgow by three points, a win at Cape Town Stadium should be enough to see the Stormers through to the playoffs.
Beating the Warriors would also put the Stormers in contention to host a playoff, something which would have been almost inconceivable at the beginning of the year, considering the distance between them and the top four in January.
However, speaking during an online media briefing on Tuesday, experienced centre Nel said the Stormers will be more focused on executing the gameplan that has served them so well this season, rather than on any potential outcome.
“If we are going to spend time thinking about the occasion and what it means if we win or lose … I don’t think we want to be in a situation where the occasion determines how we approach the game,” explained Nel.
“We will approach it the same as we do every game. We have a plan in place, and create opportunities in terms of being a running team or looking for kick-space.
“Once we think about winning or losing, we will become conservative – and that’s exactly the kind of mindset we are trying to move away from … trying to overthink or think ourselves into a box because we are scared to make mistakes. We don’t think like that.”
