'Stormers can still do something special'
Today at 08:31 AM
Lock Ruben van Heerden says the Stormers' Vodacom URC turnaround needs to start at Loftus on Saturday.
The Cape franchise will go into the second North-South derby of the season against the Bulls under pressure after a 30-23 defeat to the Lions at Ellis Park two weeks ago.
While the 10th-placed Stormers are just three log points outside the top eight on the log, John Dobson believes Saturday's match will be do-or-die for his team.
On Tuesday, Van Heerden agreed with his coach's sentiment regarding the importance of the match.
"We've still got seven league games left and we can still turn our season around, but we're running out of runway at this stage and we can't afford to drop any more points going forward.
“So [the turnaround] is going to have to happen sooner rather than later, but we can still do something special in this competition."
The Stormers will be out to avenge their 33-32 defeat to the Bulls in Cape Town earlier this month, as well as last season's 40-22 loss at Loftus. But Van Heerden said that wouldn't be their main motivation.
"We owe it to each other as a team to pull together and deliver a performance that we know we are capable of. We know we haven't lived up to our potential this season, but in saying that we've been doing the right things and we've been creating opportunities. We just need to be more clinical.
'So ja, the motivation is definitely for each other, but also for our fans. They also deserve better. The Stormers are a big franchise and being 10th on the log is not good enough for us."
Van Heerden said the Stormers hadn’t dwelled on their “gut-wrenching” narrow losses.
"As a player group, we pull together and say, listen guys, we are not a bad team, despite what everyone thinks and says. We are a good team. We are creating opportunities and we're getting in the right areas.
“We're doing the right things, and we know the off-the-cuff ability that we have in this team. We just haven't been clinical enough and we are looking to turn that around."
STATE OF THE URC: Lions, Stormers under pressure
Van Heerden said the Stormers would need “a full 80-minute performance” to beat the Bulls on Saturday.
“We have to come out firing. We can’t go to sleep for one minute, one second. It can’t be a 40- or 60-minute performance. Nobody cares if you win the second half, if you lose the game.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
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