Gelant Returns, Fourie Covers Hooker | Stormers vs Ulster Team Announcement | URC

how's captain's run uh in belt in belfast not belleville sorry all good uh it's not raining not too cold so we're happy here lacquer double if maybe we can just start with you on the on the team selection uh obviously ronnell engine if you can update on that and just some of the other calls that you made in terms of picking the team um yeah we're just trying to think of the changes obviously runs he's got a cough it's it's not uh coffee injury he's obviously got a cough um he's back he'll be back next week uh we have to be very careful with these four g's and but he's injured he wasn't available this week um damon to 12 to so we thought dan was the best option for us at 13 So if he moves out, Damon goes into 12, brings Warwick back to 15. We wanted an experienced guy in at 13 who knows how to defend that channel. At the moment, Wandi did really, really well for us in the wings, so that's probably the changes in the back. Kourbis Ranech, obviously a big injury. But I mean Khan has shown more and more promise this season, so I'm very pleased with his opportunity.

it's always we want Dion to captain the side and he's playing well and that's always going to be him and Paul or they know they're always going to be sort of alternating in roles um the two yeah and then it says um we have to have capacity we have to have Sazi ready it's four games he hasn't played so um that's more just give Sazi opportunity we can't get to the playoffs or something's wrong with Zach or Nittlen and Sazi just hasn't played they're so good so they're so tight the roster around the tighter props. So that's the change there. And then we also felt that, you know, we just like Gamble in that we are JJ not on the bench, but Dion's well-trained now at Hooker. And it gives us a lot of optionality later in the game. You could end up in a position where Dion's at Hooker and Paul's on the field, something we always thought of, or they're both on the flank, or Andre Hooker.

We did do the same thing in Toulon, and where Andre Hooker got through 80 minutes, but Dion's obviously much more trained for that now. So it gives us lots of optionality around the bench and the forward power in the bench. Thanks, Tobbo. And then, Dion, just from your side, the mindset of the players. Obviously, two weeks out from the playoffs, a big game away from home.

No, all that be. I think last game against Glasgow was a good game. I think the challenge for us is just to build on that performance. And especially coming at the business end of the tournament now, you want to progress from game to game and be better every game. So that's the focus for the team at the moment, just doing this stuff well again, like we did against last turn.

Okay, thanks. I see Litsen's got his hand up first. Yes, Lits. Hi, Mikey. Thank you very much.

Dobbo, hi there. Dion, hello. Hope you guys are well. Dobbo, maybe to start off with you, How handy is it to have those loose forwards on the bench without giving away too much? How do you see them slotting into this crucial game?

Yeah, obviously it is useful. We never want to leave either Dion or Paul really out. Paul has to come in. It allows Dion to cover Hooker later in the game. So that's obviously a pretty obvious selection.

and then the other element was we also didn't really want to have paul and dion uh yeah as much as i'd like to play together at some stage if there's an early injury both as the flanks would have put out could have put our island under a bit of pressure as good as dion jumps in uh in a in a in and also you know the forward g and the speed and achieve a speed it was just nice attacking option for us later in the game so there was a thinking around around the around the around the benches you know there's every time paul or dion's come off the bench they've made a a difference in the 20 or 30 minutes it's been so um and i know that also you know if we do want to get two fresh locks on because adre and ruben are playing a lot you know bj can move in connor can come on and achieve it can come on the bench so i think it gives our it gives our pack especially the ability of dion to play hooker and six gives our pack a lot more sort of optionality you know if that makes sense yeah yeah it does and and then looking at that um also the team um i mean missing quite a few big runners and a winger of theirs, but then you look at Werner Kock coming in, prowess under the highball and all of that, so both sides of the ball you guys will have to be sharp and with that tactical kicking. Yeah, we know how fast is the kicking here is different on these fields. I see Werner, we know very well, he played for us in the Carrick Cup we won 2017 and really good guy you're right he's good in the air and we're very happy with our progress in the contestable games that should be a battle so you right the tactical kicking is a big part and uh um slightly different ulster team to maybe the one that the URC which we played when Duane was here So they got sort of attacking threats I suppose every team's without players, aren't they? We say that without what I think you're referring to Bello Kuhn and Makhlowski, we'd say, you know, it's a blow for us to lose a quibus or not have Sir Bello out there or not have Jodie Schickling or not everyone else. So I think that the injury rosters are, that's just part of where we are this part of the season.

But I think in terms of what you're saying of the contest you did right here and then just lastly for you dabo um you guys played a played a very good controlled um game against glasgow um knowing when to throw those hot potato balls but also knowing when to to go with the um with the forwards and making the hard yards um was that a part of your um a sermon this week in terms of maintaining that control um and not looking at just if we score four tries, that should keep us atop the URC table. I mean, Dion probably better answer, better pitch submission for me to answer, so I'll hand over to Dion, but absolutely, yeah. Yeah, I think, like I said in the beginning, for us is just to build onto that. I'm meeting this morning, and I told the guys to be a championship team. You have kind of one weekend a good game, and then next weekend you go off plan and you don't do what you did last week.

So for us to progress and be in the running to win this trophy again, we need to progress and build on what we did against Glasgow. And, yeah, definitely that was part of the blueprint that we did against Glasgow and everyone stick to that plan and that's where we want to see and hopefully the guys can do the same this weekend with the plan going into tomorrow night. Thank you, guys. That's all for me for now. Nice one, it's thank you.

Nathan's got two questions for you guys. Good day, Dobbo and Dion. Dion, I'll start with you. Dion, on a player's perspective, Alsa have still got a lot to fight for with two tough games in yourselves in Glasgow, with the playoffs looming. How do you overcome beating Alsa?

They are coming off a bit of confidence from the previous fixture. Yeah, I think it was last time when we played it, we had a great start i think it was 17 0 up and then now we lost by four points uh 36 32 something like that so um yeah we we we looked at looked at it first off uh when we played here and yeah we they're on confidence as well but so are we after after the last game so um yeah it will be i think it'll be a good battle tomorrow night to to uh to because yeah like you said they the knockouts they have to win we have to win to stay on top so it's almost a must-win's worth uh double um i might come up with a funny question but has has paul been practicing his throne because i mean we've seen some ludicrous situations happen in rugby yes he did he did today at that's the evidence uh so yeah there is a backup for a backup Okay, and then final one, if I may, Mike. Dobbo, going up against Trocchi, how much are you looking forward to that battle for Trocchi up against your guys loose forwards? Yeah, it's a curious one. We're super fond of Trocchi and he's a really, really good player.

And he was hanging around and as we arrived at captains, which is unusual, again, you hang around and a lot of hugs and chats and he's obviously a very popular stormer. But I think, I mean, I'll give the cliche that when it goes, we can't let, when the whistle goes tomorrow, we can't let Trocchi get the momentum, which he's so good at. You know, he carries, he carries close to the line. A big part of the pick and go stuff. We have to stop the Trocchi.

That's what we have to do. My personal, he's a big player for them. And yeah, I think, yeah, a big part of our, a big threat to us tomorrow is Trocchi, as much as we love him. Awesome. Thank you.

Thanks, guys. Thanks, Nathan. Well done. next just kenard thanks mike um double um just could you confirm with jj it's it's it's purely tactical um um the the change you've made is purely tactical there's nothing wrong with changing no issues or anything yeah so yeah nothing wrong he's had a problem with his neck uh which is cleared now um we do have to when you go to the young hooker he's had neck and back problems we do have to be aware of it now but he was this was the route we wanted to go for this game. We just said this time we had more time to train Dion fully up there so give us a bit more optionality.

I'm sure we'll give JJ some more rugby next week for the same argument that Sazi plays this week, that these guys need to be ready as we get to the sharp end of the competition so JJ will need to play next week as well. Thanks, Dabal. Dion, if I'm not mistaken, you haven't played 80 minutes since returning from injury. Just your confidence in going what we assume would be the full 80 tomorrow night Hopefully not I haven played 80 but I think with a few games going after the first bulls game up coming back after 35 minutes i was quite blowing but yeah the fitness is going there and uh yeah we'll see what happens uh maybe um i can get replaced by poorly and then when the finnas get injured i can go back on it so it's not really that i have to play 80 but there's a possibility but luckily i'm still young so i can i can do the 80 minutes Awesome. Yes, thanks.

Great answer. Stephen Null. Yes, Stephen. Thank you, Mikey. Hi, guys.

Hi, Stephen. Doblo, it's quite interesting, you know, the changes, some of the changes that you've made and had to make. You know, you are kind of last week, the weekend before Damien was kind of a safe pair of hands at fullback and you're kind of getting a bag of tricks now with Warwick. Is that, and Dion also spoke about sticking to the plan, so is that a difficult one to manage because in a way you don't want to, you know, players have their own personal X factor, obviously, and you also don't want to kill off that initiative. But is that a tricky one for you?

No, I think it's been a relatively simple one. I'm absolutely convinced I just checked with Deo now it's going to be a very tricky one out there we know what people feel about Warwick and out there we've probably got a different perspective of the coaches as a group, I mean it's obviously a united thing as the coaches I'd say if you looked at Warwick's game against the Bulls or Warwick's game against Toulon absolutely superb, exactly what we need in terms of sticking to a plan the ones that the Konnacht where obviously he didn't play against last go and Damien was really good. You did right about that. I don't think we saw any X-factor from Damien that day. We saw him cover close to eight kilometres and some amazing work off the ball in backfield cover.

I think with Warwick, Connacht, there were two things that he did that chip, which I could argue was on, but probably not part of the plan we would need for tomorrow. I mean, if the ball just bounced and obviously the one where they chipped back and the ball bounced between him and Steph. There's two high impact moments that obviously didn't help Warwick's reputation or that as well. But in terms of his basic positional player, the ability to drive the team forward, his backfield cover, his contest was really good. But a strong message to the team, and not just to Warwick, is that this is the plan and the template we need to play for.

So tomorrow is definitely not one for Warwick's showreel or amount of carries he gets. It's about a similar job to what Damien did. And he's done it for us more often than people care to remember. Loftus being a casing point, Tulane being a casing point. And that's where there's the message to him for tomorrow.

And he completely gets it. So the one thing before anything is for the Stormers to win. And that's not a part of our plan tomorrow, is that stuff that you're referring to, Steve. So I think he's aligned. And, you know, just kind of playing out of that, I mean, you guys have this year, I think one of your successes has been the, template in the northern hemisphere you know your guys kind of have it you know and i think in general you know the adaptability of the team the guys just you know seem to seem to be very good at that so do you feel that that's going to stand you in um good stead this weekend dobbo or is it maybe that the you know the 4g kind of introduces something different yeah look i think that winning and how we want to play and the way experience that absolutely does stand is in good stead and i don't think i've seen the team this aligned as to how we want to play this week um it is the 4g is is different you know the you know personally and it's not based on science i reckon the sooner they disappear from rugby the better um not from a rugby just from just from a player welfare point of view um i know it produces a different game a different bounce and i'm sure as time goes on they will be revealed as more scientifically i know there's more research around them but um no how we want to play up here and how we want to plan that because the 40 as much as you get a faster game and you get the ball hopping as you're rolling or bouncing differently it's also very much a momentum game which is very much the template that we wanted that you know we used against glasgow so pretty much sure it suits how we want to play in the northern hemisphere as well and just lastly from me um idea obviously you mentioned in that last game against uh ulster that um the guys let it slip you know um and how do you feel um in terms of the maturity of the team do you think the team is maybe you know in a position now where you know there's kind of more mental steel for that kind of situation yeah i think uh that previous question as well we we were good on the road this year i think obviously we have about 26 or 34 points in total so we learn how to how to play up here and be different and yeah i think we learned from that I think still a questionable record on netling That probably made it difficult at that stage But yeah, like I said, we looked at the first half and saw what we did good.

And we knew what we did wrong as well. But we definitely evolved a lot from last season until now. with confidence, with the way we play and with the trust we have in each other. Thank you, guys. Good luck.

Thanks, Steve. Jan has got his hand up before we go back to Leetton. Yes, Jan? Thanks, Michael. Thanks, John.

Thanks, Dion. John, given the situation, I mean, you've number one and where they are in the race and the conditions, the pitch that you've spoken about, what is important in this game? That you get out the blocks fast or that you stay in touch that if you need to use that last 20 minutes and bring your team's grit on and take it home okay thanks john i'm just going to use the opportunity to clear up what i said about the pitch in the last one is that uh while i say the despair i think the players i speak from a player's point of view you know they don't enjoy it the strain attacks on the body some of the injuries we've seen so that's what i was referring to about the the pitching that's not trying to be making an excuse about the surface we're playing on i just from a player point of view i think even the guys who play and live and train in these fields in the uk which have done for good reason even the players themselves are used to them at home don't enjoy some of the effects on their bodies that's what's talking about the pitch so but to your question yeah yeah last year we got the fast start uh we got 17 no um that's right i did idea right to reference the ethics red card which you know i'm sure if we're watching some of the rugby that went over the past weekend it would probably would have been a rugby incident But I think the truth is, and what's worked for us in the Northern Hemisphere, is that grind that we can still just be in the opposition faces and stay in touch, stay in touch, and eventually our sort of, the poison of what we're doing at set-piece and in other areas of the games, and hopefully the carries starts to take its toll on the opposition. I'd rather have that, because that's a dominance that becomes total, another team tap out. Rather than having a fast starter, then sort of holding on, if you're going to give me a choice of those two scenarios.

I mean, the ideal world would have a hybrid, wouldn't we? But it's not going to be that simple against a very, very good Ulster team. Thanks, John. Thanks, Jan. Okay, guys, we'll end with Lietz again.

Yes, Lietz. Thank you. Dobbo, what do you guys know about the Irishman, Valhalla? I know where you're going. What do you know about him?

Well, I see he's been there since a primary school boy, but what do you know about him? i don't know i watched him play i think i watched him play a game for ireland and 20. um obviously a good irishman good irish name like that stood out i really i really i really don't know anything i really don't know anything about it we actually met a a kid on the side of the field today who was uh a bishop's guy was a bishop's first team last year was in the irish academy ships products uh they're thinning out and they're spreading out but um no we don't i don't know i don't know much about we don't know much about him at all okay and then just um on on your bench um um you you gave uh yuri plenty of minutes in in that glasgow clash um and and you systematically bringing him to where you want or need him to be um ahead of the playoffs and how far off do you see him in terms of those playing minutes and and and what's his chances looking at them this week yeah look we need to increase these minutes it's possibly something we didn't do early enough because he's very good and it's clear that's massive optionality if sasha can slot into 12 especially on the 6-2 session go to 15 and we get during because that's what happens you've got damien can go for everywhere from you know from wing to fullback so yuri's a specialist and we probably need to give him a similar time of minutes again and again to get him ready i mean a to deload sasha and that is to give us more optionality to make sure he's completely ready for the playoffs yeah i think um you know possibly underutilized at some stages are since sasha came back by us in terms of having his readiness for the next the important next few weeks that's why we did him early against glasgow yeah yeah the reason i'm asking was because he was primarily your game driver in those um stages and and he controlled the game quite well 100 i think our team you know When the springboks came back from the thing, our team changed a little bit in style and how we were playing and for good reasons. But I mean, if you go back to the La Rochelle game, it was a different game to maybe what had got us there in larger northern hemisphere conditions. That's a good question.

And so he'll play a big role tomorrow. Thank you.

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