Liebenberg gets a 'recall'
Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:49
The inclusion of Tiaan Liebenberg at hooker is the only change to the Stormers' starting XV for their Super 14 clash with the Hurricanes at Newlands on Saturday.
Stormers' coach Allister Coetzee had said earlier in the week that the players who had come into the starting team for last Saturday had given him plenty of selection options with their stand-out performances in the shut-out of the Highlanders and three of them have retained their starting places.
Liebenberg was struck down with flu on the day of the game, with Deon Fourie replacing him in the starting XV. Fourie gave a storming performance, but Liebenberg remains the coach's first choice.
Coetzee said that it was good to have Liebenberg back. He felt that Fourie had acquitted himself very well last week but Liebenberg had played well all season.
"It's a very strong scrummaging pack that we're up against. They'll probably target our scrum, but I'm very confident with
the way we've been scrumming," said Coetzee.
Against the powerful Hurricanes' front row of All Black internationals, loosehead John Schwalger (two Test caps), hooker Andrew Hore (47 Test caps) and Neemia Tialata (41 Test caps), the selection of Liebenberg, a powerful scrummager, certainly makes sense.
Three players who came in last week have retained their places.
Wing Gio Aplon, who dropped to the bench after also battling flu last week, has been kept out by Sireli Naqelevuki - who replaced him in the starting team against the Highlanders. Coetzee said the decision to retain Naqelevuki ahead of Aplon had been difficult since both had been playing excellent rugby.
Another player who got his first start of the season last week, lock Anton van Zyl, also retains his place.
Scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage, who came in for Ricky Januarie against the Highlanders, retains his place as well. Duvenage gets his third start of the year, while Januarie has had two starts.
Though it appeared that selections sometimes depended on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition, Coetzee said for him selection depended on "what we want to achieve, not on what the opposition bring to us".
On their approach to the game, Coetzee said: "I never want to be conservative. I never want to be on the other side with an all-out attack approach. We've got to get the balance right."
He was happy with the Stormers' defence and set pieces and kicking game, and with the way the players stuck to the systems they had in place. He said the attacking play was "a work in progress; we're not far off - we're getting there". Decision-making was an important focus.
Captain Schalk Burger said the Hurricanes had "strength everywhere - they're tough up front, they have excellent loose forwards and they've got quite a lot of striking power in the backs".
"They've got big, physical backs and a couple of very experienced guys as well. They're a championship side."
Burger said the team's belief in their defence system and the success they'd achieved had been a confidence-builder, but "the Hurricanes have got gamebreakers all over the show". The Stormers' defence had been the strongest part of their game and they had based their game around their defence.
Coetzee said the Stormers had no problem with Steve Walsh refereeing the game.
"It doesn't matter who blows the game. We've got to make sure we adapt well to how the ref interprets the laws and how he blows it on the day."
Stormers: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Sireli Naqelevuki, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger (captain), 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Anton van Zyl, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 JC Kritzinger, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Pieter
Louw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Lionel Cronjé, 22 Gio Aplon.
Date: Saturday, March 13
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Kick-off: 19.10 (17.10 GMT)
Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
Assistant referees: Stuart Berry (South Africa), Marc van Zyl (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
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