{"id":444408,"date":"2017-02-06T12:16:00","date_gmt":"2017-02-06T08:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nhub.news\/?p=444408"},"modified":"2017-02-06T20:23:36","modified_gmt":"2017-02-06T18:23:36","slug":"stormers-on-form-in-super-rugby-pre-season-victories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nhub.news\/fr\/2017\/02\/stormers-on-form-in-super-rugby-pre-season-victories\/","title":{"rendered":"Stormers on form in Super Rugby pre-season victories"},"content":{"rendered":"

$\"NewsHub\"$ After beating the Cheetahs 43-7 in Harare nine days ago\u201a the Stormers racked up another comfortable scoreboard showing with a 57-14 win over the SWD Eagles in George at the weekend.
Scorelines mean little at this stage of the campaign\u201a but coach Robbie Fleck is satisfied with the performances and development of the team in this period.
He was especially happy with the way his team performed in difficult\u201a wet conditions in George.
\u201cIn the first half the ball was like a piece of soap and it was a good opportunity for us to play a bit of territory. Our forwards got stuck in\u201a which was very pleasing\u201a especially with such a young pack\u201a\u201d Fleck said.
\u201cWe played smart rugby and once we got in their half we put them under pressure\u201a which is pleasing. Our lineout functioned extremely well and we scrummed particularly well against probably a heavier pack.
\u201cIn the second half when the ball dried out a bit and the pitch dried up we were able to move them around better\u201a which was why we were able to score six tries in the second half.
\u201cConditions dictated what happened in both halves so it was pleasing that we showed we can play it tight and then open it up when it dried up\u201a which is great to see.\u201d
The Stormers meet the Lions in their third and final pre-season friendly this weekend and it should be the most accurate test of where both teams are going into the tournament.
In 2017 the Stormers take on five New Zealand teams in the pool phase of Super Rugby\u201a which will pose some new challenges for his team.
The Lions were runners-up in Super Rugby last year and the South African team that plays the most similar style to that of NZ sides\u201a which will be another unit of measurement for the Stormers.
\u201cThe Lions were the best attacking side in the competition last year\u201a they have been able to play at a tempo and intensity that matches the Kiwi sides\u201a so there is no better opposition than the Lions\u201a\u201d Fleck said.
\u201cIt will be a true test of how far we have come since last year\u201a it will be a great test for us. The big thing for me is the tempo and intensity that they bring\u201a so we want to see where we are in terms of that and if we have improved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sentiment rank: 4.4<\/div>\n

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