Stormers utility back Damian Willemse believes they’ve got the game to excite the Newlands faithful when they host the Brumbies in their Super Rugby clash on Saturday (3.05 pm).
The Springbok star says the match against the Blues on their recent overseas tour was a turning point for the Stormers.
After using their big forwards to dominate teams at the start of the campaign, the Stormers lost three matches on their tour of Australasia, including the second match against the Blues.
They then showed glimpses of how destructive they can be with ball in hand in their last match against the Rebels - claiming a 41-24 in the end.
And with six of their eight remaining round-robin matches at home, Willemse believes they can make a real statement at Newlands.
LET LOOSE: Sergeal Petersen. Photo: BACKPAGEPIX
He explains: “We’ve got the players [to play an expansive game] and we’ve realised that.
“Obviously teams started analysing us and saw that we played with the forwards a lot - we didn’t give the ball to our backs.
“The game against the Blues was the turning point for us - we saw that our plan to spread the ball was actually working for us.
“I mean we’ve got the players, we’ve got Dillyn Leyds, we’ve got Sergeal Petersen, we’ve got guys who can run the ball.
ACE PLAYMAKER: Dillyn Leyds. Photo: MUZI NTOMBELA/BACKPAGEPIX
“Of course it all starts with defence, the way we’re going at the moment there is a good balance.
“Our mauls and our scrums are also going well, so it’s nice to have the balance. Some games we will have to play with the forwards”
Of the challenge the Brumbies will bring to Newlands, Willemse says: “They’ve got a good forward pack and elusive backs.
“Guys like [Tevita] Kuridrani, [Christian] Lealiifano and [Tom] Banks at the back - they’ve got both speed and hard running backs.
“Then you’ve got [David] Pocock and [Lachlan] McCaffrey that can slow ball down at the breakdown. It’s going to be a challenge for the forwards and backs.
“We’ll have to be at the top of our game.”