Stormers target attacking revival in Champions Cup decider against Leicester Tigers

The Stormers will be under pressure to rediscover their trademark attacking flair when they face Leicester Tigers in Cape Town on Saturday, with their Champions Cup survival hinging on a must-win final pool encounter.

In their last two matches, the Cape side’s normally potent backline has been kept in check by Harlequins and the Bulls, who gave them little room to work their magic on attack. However, they are ready to address those issues and fire on all cylinders as they face a desperate Tigers side at the DHL Stadium (5.15pm start), looking to clinch a playoff spot in the competition.

The Stormers currently sit third in the pool and must win the encounter to progress, while a five-point victory would give them the best possible chance of securing a home Round of 16 game.

They made things difficult for themselves by failing to pick up any points against Harlequins last weekend, with the Cape side managing to score only two tries. In the United Rugby Championship a fortnight ago, the DHL Stadium again witnessed just two tries from the home side — both coming off rolling mauls — prompting questions about their inability to convert scoring chances through their free-flowing game.

Attack coach Dawie Snyman said this week that the issue falls within his department and that they are working to find solutions. However, he admitted that various factors have contributed to their current situation.

“Taking those opportunities is an area that we are constantly working on to get right,” Snyman said.

“Against the Bulls, we had two open try lines and we missed those chances. This past weekend, we had a couple of nice carries with momentum into the 22m area of Harlequins. Then we lost the ball and ended up 5m from our own try line.

“We pride ourselves on our attacking and we always want to do well. That is what our Faithful want to see when we are playing at home. We will definitely look at one or two things on the attack to try and sharpen it up.”

The Stormers have faced several tough injuries in the backline, particularly at inside centre. Additionally, resting protocols have affected selection, preventing them from consistently fielding the same centre pairing. Injuries to midfielders Dan du Plessis, Ruhan Nel, Jonathan Roche, Jean-Luc du Plessis and Damian Willemse and giving Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu rest, also means that the important 10-12 combination has been changed almost every game leading to little continuity.

With another month-long break in February looming due to the Six Nations, the Stormers will be desperate for some backline momentum to get their potent try-scoring attack back.

“Combinations and understanding between the players are important. We’ve also been travelling up and down; Three weeks in Europe, then we were back home. Then we travelled to Munster and Bayonne, which presented us with two completely different scenarios.

“Then we had a couple of games in Cape Town, and we went back to London. We have a bit of a run at home now, even if it is playing elsewhere in South Africa, the conditions are more or less the same.

“So, we will look to get some flow and rhythm over the next matches.”

The Stormers, meanwhile, announced on Thursday that Springbok No 8 Evan Roos extended his contract for another two years. The 25-year-old, known for his blend of speed and physicality, will run out for the Cape side until 2028 as he looks to add to the 74 caps he already has.