Captain Ruhan Nel believes there is still plenty of improvement to come from the Stormers as they prepare to host the Bristol Bears in Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup clash.
The Stormers head into their tournament opener encouraged by an impressive six-try 39-22 win over the Sharks in the URC last weekend, but Nel insists they have yet to reach their full potential.
“It was a really good game from us but there’s definitely more in the tank,” he told the media this week.
“We can be more accurate, we can find more pockets of opportunity to attack but it showed good intent of where we want to go.”
MORE: Roos revved up to be back in black
Nel’s immediate focus, however, is on a Bristol side that thrives on expansive, attacking rugby and quick ball.
The Stormers skipper expects the visitors to stretch their defensive line with wide passing and offloads, making patience and discipline key to containing them.
“Bristol’s got a really wide attack and they’ve got a real attacking mentality about their game – they stretch the passes and force an offload here and there – so it’s for us to stay patient,” Nel said.
“They get really quick ball and really stretch the defensive system out wide. So we want to stay patient on defence and not try to make miracle reads or miracle plays and almost just let the game naturally come to us when we’re defending.”
ALSO: Gaza chasing that star on his chest
The Stormers’ defence – which Nel takes personal responsibility for during matches – was solid against the Sharks, who relied a lot on box kicks from lineouts and rucks. But Nel believes Saturday’s clash will provide another different test of its effectiveness.
“The Stormers have always been known to have a good defensive system,” he said. “It’s fun to actually defend against teams that want to run at us. It tests the system.
“We don’t mind not having the ball. I’d rather us go set-piece to set-piece and back our defensive systems than being at sixes and sevens, scrambling on defence.”
PLUS: Stormers wary of ‘British Bulldog’
Photo: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images
