Stormers torture their fans again

Watching South African Super 14 rugby is a bit like going to the dentist because you like the laughing gas. There might be a high, but there's a whole lot of pain too.

Man, what an average Chiefs side. Watching this from the stands you'd have to say they're eminently beatable - and with bonus points too.

But frankly, the Stormers couldn't put away a game against a barefoot primary school side.

When things are in downward spiral, you lose confidence. But not only do the Stormers lack confidence, they're bereft of ideas. You can guarantee that if they have the edge in possession, they'll kick it away after the fifth phase.

And then desperation starts to set in and they start to make basic mistakes.

Irritated as I am, I think the following areas would be worth concentrating on if you believed this team had a hope.

Rush defense - you have to be fully committed

De Villiers and Joubert were woeful on the rush defense today. If you're going to employ this defense you have to ensure the opposition receive man and ball at the same time. Hesitant efforts ensured that the Chiefs were able to offload inside passes and put runners away.

Midfield - you've got to tackle first time

The rush defense is tough to pull off. But there is no excuse for feeble attempts at a tackle. Marius Joubert- how many times will you be pinged for high tackles and how many times will you be bumped or handed off before you finally start going low?

Jean de Villiers - were you actually marking somebody or looking for the intercept?


Back three - they've got to understand their positions

With Chavanga, Benjamin and Nokwe, you'd expect the Stormers to be running most sides ragged. I guess that might have been the plan. But sadly, the back three were exposed for lack of positional nous today. Wings, you've got to know when to lie deep and cover your touchline on defense.

You've also got to commit to the high ball, whether it's been kicked onto you or whether you're chasing it. You have to get off the ground and contest it in the air. If you are caught too deep, get down on your haunches, keep your eye on the ball and collect it safely by scooping it up your forearms.

And friggin hell, if you're going to put that pace back there, back it and run the ball hard. Why do we persist in kicking everything straight down the middle?

Line kicks - they've got to go out

On the subject of kicking, man, make sure of your touchfinders! Naas Olivier looked good on individual attack tonight, but he bombed his touchfinders. The disease caught, and De Villiers and Burger gifted possession away that ultimately resulted in tries.

Up and unders - if you kick, contest

Personally I think they should be a fineable offence, but if done well (and used sparingly) they have their place. Critical to an up an under, is:

• They need to come down with snow on them


• They need to go a chaseable distance


• They need to be chased by a number of players


• The player who kicked must chase and then contest the ball in the air


• The supporting players must be there when the kicker comes down.

They attacked badly too

Attack - run straight

It is the most basic lesson of attack: if you do not straighten the line, there will be no room for the guys out wide, and no chance of creating space for runners joining the line. If there is a disease in South Africa's backline play (besides the "chip and chase"), it is abysmal running lines on attack. Which is sad considering the pace we have.

If you crab across the field, defending sides don't have to worry about complicated defensive patterns - the drift defense copes easily.

Mauls - a new form of attack

New to South Africa that is. Mauls are dangerous if they get stopped - the ball goes to the opposing side. However, considering how rucks are being contested, and the fact that a maul can gain ground if executed well, it is a valuable option. South African sides appear to be using it more and better.

The commentators credited Nick Mallet for introducing a French-style cork-screwing style to the Stormers maul. It was giddying to watch, but very effective.

Rucks - commit and get quick ball

Speaking of rucks, I understand the danger of overcommitting on defense. But some supporting players would help. South African ruck ball is static and we concede far too many turnovers. There are some lazy players out there. Jake White's pro-zone would expose the. But you can spot them walking along on a few TV shots too. New Zealand sides kill us there.

Supporting play

Our supporting play must be the poorest in world rugby. Clive Woodward developed an entire gameplan to ensure team-based support play (split field accountability shared between backs and forwards). Even if not specifically addressed in your game plan, the principles are taught in schoolboy rugby - if you're not up in support, you're never going to score any tries, and you're going to concede possession.

Neil de Kock - if only everyone had his heart

Man, Neil de Kock gives everything. Perhaps he overdoes the box kick, but given the slow ruck ball, that is not surprising.

The number of cover tackles (sure and low) made by De Kock tonight was staggering. Where others looked scared on defense, De Kock made first time tackles around the ankles on players three times his size.

Summary

Sadly it is again a tale of basics letting a South African side down. Every man needs to front up for this. For all Schalk Britz' bravado in his response to Jake White's criticism of his line out throwing, he looked poor in this basic. It improved during the game, but the first five had to be cleaned up at the back after he missed his jumpers. Every player has something basic to work on, and that means there is a lot to do before we start seeing South African sides contesting the top four spots.