Leinster boss Leo Cullen is wracking his brain as to how to thwart “dynamic” Stormers No 8 Evan Roos on Saturday, reports DEVIN HERMANUS.
The rampaging Roos scored in the final minute of a bonus-point victory over Glasgow Warriors on Friday, as the Capetonians stormed into second place in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
It capped another eye-catching performance from the 22-year-old, with Rassie Erasmus even showering the talented loose forward with praise for his efforts against Glasgow.
A second-string Leinster outfit lost to the Sharks at Kings Park on Saturday, and the Irish are desperate to halt the Stormers’ six-game unbeaten run in a top-of-the-table clash at Cape Town Stadium.
In the buildup to Saturday’s showdown, Cullen told media: “The Stormers are different to how the Sharks play, in terms of mindset and conditions. We’re trying to familiarise ourselves with them; they’re a team we’ve watched but never played against.
“Their mindset is to keep the ball alive, and we’ve seen that against Glasgow. It’s their attacking mentality, but also the speed they have on attack.
“Roos at No 8 is very dynamic and gets through a lot of work. [The Stormers] also have a strong front row, with [Steven] Kitshoff and [Frans] Malherbe; know they lost their hooker on Friday, so we’ll see how that’s going to affect them.”
Two full rounds and a few catch-up games remain in the URC round-robin stage before the playoffs, and the Stormers have Leinster in their sights with 11 points separating the two sides.
Cullen added: “All we care about is trying to get two more points from two more games, and the sooner we get them, the better! Against the Stormers, it’s first versus second, and they’ll be highly motivated and they know they’ll be traveling to Europe for their last game.”
