The Stormers are excited to test themselves out against one of the best franchise teams in the world when they head into battle in their United Rugby Championship (URC) semifinal against Leinster in Dublin on Saturday.
It is set to be an intriguing contest between the Cape side that won the inaugural edition of the URC back in the 2021-22 season, and the defending champions, in what should be a packed Aviva Stadium.
Stormers attack coach Dawie Snyman admitted that the team would have to be ‘spot on’ if they were to have any chance of upsetting the favourites on their home turf.
“We know it is going to be a tough game. Leinster are the defending champs, they played in a (Champions Cup) final in Europe a few weeks ago,” said Snyman.
“They will understand pressure and how to get things done on the day. We will definitely be challenged in all areas and all aspects of the game. So we know we need to be spot on to give ourselves a chance to get over the line.
“But it’s a great challenge for us as a group, and it is quite exciting to be playing away from home against one of the best club teams in the world.”
Where Leinster’s biggest strength lies is in their internationally experienced squad, with most of them Irish internationals, while they also boast All Blacks international Rieko Ioane and French international Rabah Slimani.
No weakness
Their attack is incredibly dangerous and their defence is run by double World Cup winning coach Jacques Nienaber, so there are very few, if any weaknesses for the Stormers to exploit.
“Leinster is a team that has really good systems. On attack they generate speed and have a lot of options around the ball, so we have to get things right defensively or they really put you under pressure,” explained Snyman.
“On defence they are really good at taking your time and space away. So we won’t have a lot of time to make decisions and they will put us under a lot of pressure when we have ball in hand.
“They also have a really strong set piece. There aren’t really any aspects of the game that aren’t a strength for Leinster. Then they have a lot of big game players with a lot of experience, so they have game beakers across the park. They are a well-balanced side with a lot of threats and a lot of strengths.”
The Stormers did go over the game footage of Leinster’s massive 59-10 quarterfinal win over the Lions last weekend, but Snyman said they were more focused on themselves than their opponents.
“We had a look at the Leinster v Lions game, and Leinster really played well. In terms what we looked at, it was more about confirming one or two things we saw where we can get opportunities,” said Snyman.
“In saying that we also saw what to expect when Leinster are really on top and firing, which was the case against the Lions.”
