r/Stormers

Sorry if this has already been discussed, I scrolled through the past few months of posts in the subreddit and also searched, but didn't find a thread about this.

On to the point: Is anyone else still constantly getting tripped up by the recent name changes from WP to Stormers XXIII / Stormers Bolts?

Some publications mistakenly just write "Stormers" when they actually mean the Stormers XXIII/Bolts in reference to an upcoming match/recent result, and I have to double-take to remember that they're not talking about the Stormers a few seconds later.

And social media images, even by the Stormers own profiles, with "Stormers" written in bold and the XXIII/Bolts smaller also still have the same effect.

Maybe its just my thick skull not getting the message, hence the question: is it just me?

I noticed none of the URC teams played the high ball. The Bulls last night had very few high balls and box kicks. This is despite the fact that they usually play that style. Same with the Stormers and Sharks. They seemed to want to run it from anywhere. Which isn't what the Boks are gonna do (and shouldn't be).

Now. Here comes my wild imagination. I know NZ would've wanted to use these 3 games as preparation for the high ball. So they were probably hoping to be tested a bit. And they never were.

What if, just maybe.. this was deliberate by the domestic sides. To not give NZ too much preparation for what they can expect on Saturday???? I know it's a reach but its fun to ponder 😂

These guys are losing their minds by saying theyre selling their season tickets and wont attend games because of the logo change but that the investors are ruining the club.

I think they set out to be the Galacticos of URC rugby but it did fall flat. However investors spent hard cash at the Sharks. Which fans want. And is from a commercial POV the worst thing as the yields are no where near being valid just on return on investment. But a necessary one.

I mean I wish we had money like that.

Yes, the Plumtree experiment didnt work and some of the players they got didnt seem to pitch up with being marquee signings.

But our logo is equally kak. We moaned for a day and then still pitched up.

I understand them disliking the investor because he showboats a bit but like thats who the guy is and at the core of this he wants to make the team work.

Cameron Hanekom absolute world class. Carried like a beast, stole the ball on the deck, smashed over for that try. Reminds me of Pierre Spies.

Edwill van der Merwe worked his backside off the whole game. Chased everything down, defended proper, took his try like a real wing should.

Esterhuizen was hit and miss. Hits like a double cab bakkie on defence but his hands let him down a few times.

Sacha had flashes of brilliance, that offload was class, but he was rusty. Kicked out on the full, some flat passes that nearly gave me a heart attack. His ups and unders went backwards.

Fassi was a bit pap in the air too. Set up the try nicely but his tactical kicking was all over the show.

The bench front row saved us though. Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Steenekamp came on and just crushed the Pumas scrum. Massive power when we needed it most.

Rigtho. So, we have signed all of these players above 30... Siya just injured his hammy against Argentina, and he is coming back to play for the Stormers, who have quite the stacked loose trio. He can play 8, yes, but that means either Evan Roos needs to shift to 7 or be benched, and that also means Ben Jason Dixon needs to be benched or moved to one of the lock positions. I'll also be frank here and say that I'd rather have Ben Jason in a lock jersey than Adre Smith. Nothing against the lad but his discipline needs major work. Especially when it comes to his temper on the field.

On another note: I was on the bandwagon to sell Warick Galant to the first bidder based on his performances over the last two seasons... what the hell happened to that man on Friday? It's like he just sniffed the Haka from over the waters, heard some Māori in the national anthem, and was like, "Yep, Super Sayan four tonight bois!" Yes, he made some errors, but compared to his last few games... this man looked incredible. Now, does one performance change my opinion... hell no. Need some more consistency from the lad. But if he plays like that some more, the dynamic of that backline looks incredible with him at 15, Cheslin at 11 and YES... SENATLA AT 14 OVER LEOLIN ZAS. No, I am not a hater; I'm realistic. I also think that having two players with 7's experience out on the wide, in a team that thrives on a looser playing style and is dangerous on open play, is going to be beneficial for the Stormers. Senatla and Kolbe also pose more of a lethal aerial threat compared to Zas and Kolbe. This makes our counter-attacking more of a threat as well, granted Dobo varies his play styles, depending on the game at hand. I actually completely forgot about Willemse, so the chance of Warrick getting benched is high, considering we also signed Damian De Allende and there is no chance that he is starting ahead of DDA. It's crazy to think that with how that backline is going to look come this URC season when the Boks are back, that Senatla and Ruhan Nel will be the weakest links. I do, however, hope that these lads gel well and there is some sort of cohesion in the team. I do not want us to be out here with all these stars performing like the Sharks have over the past few seasons.

Now here is another pressing point that we need to address. Ruben van Heerden is not there to call the lineouts anymore... so who replaces him? Honestly, I know this is wild, but let's give Riley Norton a go at four and move BJD to the five. That way, the loose trio can be Paul de Villiers, Evan Roos and Siya Kolisi.

The pressing problem I have with Siya being there is that it looks very likely that Deon Fourie is going to play less, but it's understandable because he is 40 years old. I would be great if he could move into a player/coach role and pass on his wisdom to everyone there.

With Wilco Louw coming in, where does that leave Neetling Fouche, though? Ntuks is not getting benched after the URC season he had, but there is also no chance Neetling is starting ahead of Wilco, and the same goes for Zach Porthen. I would have liked it if Zach could get a commanding starting role and be put under the pump so that he can get some proper time under his belt at club level and gain some valuable experience.

And last but not least... With Imad Khan and Dewald Duvenhage injured, and Cobus gone with the Boks, we only have Stefan Ungerer there. Nothing against Ungerer, but i do think that we can get more out of someone else in that position who makes smarter tactical choices and who is a better distributor. SFM is there to make playmaking decisions, so he does not have to act like a playmaking nine, but considering that the Stormers can play quite a counter-attacking aerial game from their box kicking, we need someone who is able to execute that meticulously and who can speed up the game on the counter-attack like Cobus and Imad can. My fever dream is to poach Hashim Pead from the Lions since their scrumhalf stocks look more loaded than a dining table come Christmas time, but he cannot be our 2nd or third choice scrumhalf either. That young man needs to be in a team where he is able to start more often.

Then again, these are not my issues to solve, but I would love to know what you guys think. Either way, it's nice to know that this country has at least one First World level problem, doesn't it?

The turning point for me was losing both scrumhalves. It killed the tempo right when the game hung in the balance. Even without a full Springbok side, the front row stood firm, Dayimani brought serious X-factor, and Deon Fourie was absolute poison at the breakdown. Up front, Andre-Hugo Venter and Matongo put in massive shifts, Senatla was lethal out wide, and young Yaqeen Ahmed showed real composure at flyhalf against Beauden Barrett.

As for the All Blacks, they have big problems heading into the Test series:

Their discipline was shocking, giving away 16 penalties and three yellow cards.

Their set piece got shoved around by a franchise pack, which is a massive red flag against the Boks.

They looked sloppy and disjointed for most of the match, only pulling away late when our guys ran out of steam.

If they play like that against the Springboks, they are going to get punished.

Two New Faces On The Panel, Bringing Fresh Perspectives And Insight

Considering we had no scrumhalf towards the end, and we lost our key scrumhalf early plus having a 10 who played his first proffesional club game tonight I'm so happy.

Was it just very unlucky? Was it the now imfamous pitch? Seemed completely random but the injury seems severe. Very sad as I was really looking forward to him coming through (even more) this coming season but that looks like a 6-9 monther at best. Any doc's etc can speak to what happened?

Surely this is silly that its not on supersport for the greatest rivalry??