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Stormers hope to ‘put down’ Hacjivah Dayimani in make-or-break Racing 92 clash

Leighton Koopman|Published

The Stormers are wary of the threats of Racing 92, including their former star loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani. Photo: PHANDO JIKELO Independent Media

Five points will likely guarantee them qualification for the Champions Cup Round of 16, but the Stormers are firstly focused on getting a win in Paris when they take on Racing 92 in the final round-robin of the Champions Cup.

After thrashing Sale Sharks 40-0 in Cape Town last Saturday, the Cape outfit are potentially one win away from another knockout match in Europe’s elite club rugby competition.

They basically need a four-try victory to stay ahead of the two chasing sides in Pool 4, while a favour from the Glasgow Warriors against Harlequins could see them jump to third for a potentially easier playoff.

A loss could push them into the Challenge Cup spot or totally out of European rugby.

But the Stormers will only be focused on what they have to do on Saturday evening, not worrying too much about the log standings, when they face a dangerous French side.

“The first thing is to get the win, because you can’t get ahead of yourself in terms of scoring five tries for the bonus point.”

“The first thing is to get the win, because you can’t get ahead of yourself in terms of scoring five tries for the bonus point,” Stormers attack coach Dawie Snyman said on Monday.

“We have to do the right things to get the victory and then take it from there. The points difference was a big factor when we played Sale and things ended up nicely for us. That is why we find ourselves third on the log.”

According to Snyman, things will be totally different for them on Saturday, where they will play indoors and on a 4G pitch, something the side is not totally familiar with.

But they see it as another opportunity to showcase their brand of rugby with which they scored six tries against Sale Sharks at the Cape Town Stadium last weekend.

They are wary of the threats of Racing, including former star Stormers loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani.

“The game speed will likely be similar, but we will have to adjust to the opposition and the conditions like we do every time.”

“The game speed will likely be similar, but we will have to adjust to the opposition and the conditions like we do every time. So, we will probably play a little bit tighter,” Snyman said.

“We know Hacjivah really well, and he will have some inside information from our point of view. It will be great to see him, firstly. He is a great man, and was a great player for us.

“ From training, we know his habits, so hopefully we can put him down.”

“But you need to be aware when he has the ball, and hopefully we can contain him.

“If he gets space, he can be dangerous. From training, we know his habits, so hopefully we can put him down.”

A group of 28 players will depart Cape Town on Tuesday for Paris.

Some of the top players will be given a rest on Saturday ahead of next weekend’s United Rugby Championship clash against Leinster in Dublin. | Independent Media Sport

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