Stormers must neutralise explosive Augustus, says Hlungwani

The Stormers must neutralise the explosive power of countryman Juarno “Trokkie” Augustus when they face Ulster in a top-of-the-table United Rugby Championship clash in Belfast on Friday, assistant coach Rito Hlungwani says.

After deciding his future lay overseas after an impressive stint at the Stormers, the rampant No 8 shone for Northampton Saints in England before becoming a key member of the Ulster side.

Augustus has hit top form at the business end of the season, and was named player of the match when Ulster advanced into the EPCR Challenge Cup semifinals with a 29-12 win over Exeter Chiefs last week.

Good decision-making coupled with a measured game plan worked wonders for the Stormers when they powered their way to a 48-12 win over Glasgow Warriors, coach John Dobson said. After crashing to 33-24 to Connacht in their previous United Rugby Championship clash, the Stormers returned to winning ways thanks to a six-try blitz at the Cape Town Stadium. The mood surrounding the Connacht clash had been sombre after the death of long-serving team manager Chippie Solomon. “I think we could focus a bit more on the rugby this week,” Dobson said. “If you’re saying we played conservatively, then yes, probably. It was more like playoff rugby.” “Last week we were desperate and forced things, shovelling inferior ball. “This week we applied pressure. We knew we could put some pressure on set-piece wise and that was effective. “We didn’t need to create the magic against Glasgow, so that helped. “I thought the decision-making was excellent.” Dobson said criticism of the Stormers after the Connacht loss had been unjustified. “We got a lot of criticism for the Connacht performance,” he said. “But to understand what this team was going through, or what Chippie meant to us and to this organisation, and to expect those guys to perform normally is a lack of humanity in my mind. “We wanted to put in a proper performance against Glasgow, so to have done it like that and in the manner we did, it’s a really happy change room at this stage, and we can build on this.” Dobson said the debut of 18-year-old Markus Muller with 14 minutes to go had been special. “That noise (from the crowd) was so cool,” he said. “It makes me proud of the crowd because it shows they’re informed and enthusiastic. It was brilliant. “He’s the happiest kid. I think his hand is sore, but he’s the happiest kid in the world down there at the moment. “Personally, I would have liked to give him five or 10 minutes more. But we were down to one back at one stage, so we didn’t have the flexibility.” “He didn’t have much ball in hand, but his defence was really, really good. He stayed alive in the system and handled it well. “It’s important for us to show there’s a pathway. If you come through the system, you’ll get an opportunity. “That’s critical for what we’re building.” The win was marred when Cobus Reinach left the field in the 60th minute with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. “He’s in a brace and hasn’t been scanned yet,” Dobson said. “But I don’t see that being a quick turnaround. “It looks like a ligament, possibly medial. Hopefully it’s not an ACL, but it’s serious enough to keep him out for a while.” Captain Ruhan Nel said the Stormers had been fired up for one of the biggest games of the season against the United Rugby Championship log-leaders. “You could feel from the start of the week the boys were ready to get back to business and the energy shifted,” he said. “It was about doing something for ourselves. “We embrace criticism after the Connacht defeat, but there was a lack of understanding about what we went through. “I feel like there was a lack of respect, a lack of understanding towards the team and what we went through. “That also was part of the motivation this week that put a bit of anger in us. That added motivation.” Other URC scores: Edinburgh 33 Sharks 28, Lions 33 Connacht 21, Scarlets 21 Bulls 23. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

“I coached Trokkie a couple of years ago, so he’s a player I know really, really well,” Hlungwani said. “He’s a good person, comes from a great family and I’m really proud of what he’s achieved since he left us.

“Juarno has given Ulster an extra layer to their attack. He did the same thing for Northampton Saints for a couple of years, and he is a good ball carrier. That go-forward ball he provides really helps them a lot.

“For us, it’s about making sure we handle his power. We feel like we’ve got players with good stopping power and good carrying ability who can match that and hopefully neutralise him.

“The desperation is there from our side. We want to come back still No 1 and give ourselves the best chance to play in the playoffs at home in Cape Town.”

Hlungwani said his team’s growing familiarity with artificial surfaces could be vital in Belfast.

“On our last trip to Belfast we didn’t spend a lot of time training on it — and then when we did, the boys took quite long to recover. That’s one of the reasons why we’ve decided to do most of our preparation at home this time.

“It’s a really fast pitch. The ball bobbles a lot and keeps rolling, so you can’t rely on it going dead. The momentum you get from carries is different, so your body height has to be right. The same applies to tackling and those small details become very important.

“I think the last win we had on 4G was Connacht away. We’ve won in Edinburgh, we’ve come close at Ulster, we’ve come close at Cardiff — but we see those experiences as an opportunity to learn.

“We feel we’ve got a strong understanding of how to prepare and play on that surface. We have had wins, probably the biggest one at Stade Francais.”

Thanks to a vital win over Connacht, the Lions have put their future firmly in their own hands as they prepare for tough matches on the road against Irish powerhouses Leinster and Munster, says coach Ivan van Rooyen. The in-form Lions stretched their winning run in the United Rugby Championship to an impressive six matches thanks to a clinical display against Connacht at Ellis Park in Johannesburg last week. The winning streak has pushed the Lions into third place on the URC log as the business end of the competition approaches. “We’re keeping ourselves alive, which is the nice part,” Van Rooyen said. “Connacht are such a tough team to play against. They don’t go away. They’re physical. They’re fit. “Now we’re touring. It’s a tough tour — Leinster, then Munster — but as we’ve been saying, at least it’s still up to us. “In the last three seasons, we hoped for one or two results from other teams. Currently it’s up to us to decide where we are, and the feeling is different than the last two or three years. “I think we’ve grown a lot. The last two or three years it was just not good enough and hopefully this year it will be different. Two seasons ago, when we thought we had secured a top-eight spot, we slipped up in crucial games at home. We lost the last couple of matches and didn’t make it. “However, I feel there has been plenty of growth since then. This time around, the feeling is a bit different, looking at where we are in our campaign and where we are heading. There is a sense of relief, yes — but we are not in the playoffs just yet.” Van Rooyen said the transformation of his team had been significant this season. “Six months ago we were spiralling and I was asked how we were going to regain control. In that regard we’ve grown quite a lot. Our decision-making is better. Our ability to transfer pressure onto our opponents has improved. “Some elements of our game are developing consistently, and over the last three years it just hasn’t been enough. But this year is different. The more clear you are about what you want to do and your identity, the easier it is. “A lot of the time, you want to look at the outcome but you must look at the process and what made the difference or what had the effect. I think the coaches and the players are really aligned about what we want and what we need.” Delighted Lions captain Francke Horn said committed defensive work had been vital in the win over Connacht. “Connacht are a good team, especially on attack,” he said. “We knew we were going to have to defend multi-phase. There was a stage on our tryline where we defended for three to four minutes, and we managed. It was a massive defensive performance for 70 minutes. “Two tries at the end left a sour taste, but it’s good to win and get five points to stay alive. With a yellow card, they scored just seven points, and we scored points ourselves. “The maturity of the win, I think we’ve grown a lot.” Remaining Lions fixtures: May 9 versus Leinster; May 16 versus Munster.

Springbok lock Salmaan Moerat is back in training after a serious toe injury, Hlungwani added.

“We had a split session this week, and he was getting stuck in. Salmaan did some scrumming and live mauls, so he’s coming back slowly. We’ll see how he goes for the rest of the week.”

Moerat’s return will be a timely boost, as fellow lock JD Schickerling (knee) is ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.

“Schickerling is out for the season, so having someone like Salmaan coming back would obviously help us with depth.”

URC fixtures

Friday:

• 8.45pm: Ulster vs Stormers.

Saturday:

• 1.45pm: Bulls vs Zebre;
• 4pm: Sharks vs Benetton;
• 6.30pm: Leinster vs Lions.

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