The Stormers have already qualified for the United Rugby Championship (URC) playoffs, and secured a place in the top four, but have it all to play for this weekend as they chase top spot on the log when they take on Cardiff at Arms Park in Wales in their last pool match.
Regardless of the result on Friday night, the Stormers will host a quarterfinal at the end of the month, but where they end up finishing will make a big impact on their final two games, should they make it all the way to the showpiece finale.
They are currently second on the log, and if they can get a win over Cardiff and table topping Glasgow Warriors slip up against Ulster, that would see them back on top which would earn them home ground advantage all the way to the final.
But should Glasgow win with a bonus point they will stay top, and the Stormers will be battling for second and third, as Leinster sit just a point behind them, so a slip up against Cardiff could see the defending champs move ahead of them.
If the Stormers don’t finish in the top two that would see them traveling in the semifinals, if they get through their quarter, and that could see them heading to Scotland or Ireland, which would be a huge ask.
So although they are comfortable going into the last pool match of the season, there is still plenty on the line for the Stormers, and hooker Andre-Hugo Venter admitted as much earlier this week, admitting that their draw against Ulster hit the team hard.
Felt like a loss
“We felt like it was a loss in our last game (against Ulster) so our level of desperation is right up there with theirs (Cardiff, who need to win to make sure of their place in the top eight),” said Venter.
“We are in the playoffs but we want to play at home after the quarterfinals if we get through that game, so we desperately do need to win against Cardiff.
“It will improve our chances of playing at home after the quarterfinals and we will be going all out to achieve that. They won’t be more desperate than us. We have a lot to play for.”
Venter explained that the build-up this week is incredibly important for the team to shake off the issues from their previous match, and sharpen themselves ahead of the URC knockouts.
“I think for us going into the weekend it’s understanding what the opposition see that we might have done wrong over the past few weekends and that’s something they’ll try and exploit,” said Venter.
“So, understanding that and finding our weaknesses before the other teams can is going to be massive for us leading up to the play-offs as well.
“I think (also important) for us going into this weekend is discipline, decision making and basically not playing against ourselves in some scenarios.”
