Kolisi try shows Stormers’attacking flair

Siya Kolisi pulled off one of the most audacious sidesteps in Super Rugby history when he sent Elton Jantjies sprawling across the Ellis Park sandpit on Saturday.

It was a thing of beauty – a break around the fringes of the ruck by Nizaam Carr, who offloaded in the tackle, followed by another by Juan de Jongh.

Then Nic Groom found Siya Kolisi on his inside, and the Springbok flank pulled off one of the most audacious sidesteps in Super Rugby history when he sent Elton Jantjies sprawling across the Ellis Park sandpit on Saturday.

The Lions won the war 29-22, but the Stormers scored the try of the match, and it provided insight into how the Cape side want to attack under the new regime of Robbie Fleck.

The reality, though, is that despite the fresh breeze blowing through the Newlands corridors, they have just scored only 18 tries in seven matches.

It’s not the worst return, but is indicative of how the Stormers are battling to finish off try-scoring opportunities as they come to grips with a change in mindset from a defence-dominated strategy to one that requires them to make better use of possession.

In comparison, log-leaders the Chiefs have dotted down a whopping 39 times, followed by the Crusaders and Cheetahs on 30 – although the latter team’s tally is inflated by the 14 tries in the 92-17 rampage over the Sunwolves at the weekend.

But Kolisi’s try proved that the Stormers can play an offloading game, and it’s something that Fleck wants to continue against the Reds at Newlands on Saturday (3pm kickoff).

“Obviously we would like to see more of it, but that broken play, that ability to keep it alive beyond the advantage line, was important. It was a great reaction of the players around Nemo (Carr) to read him and once we were in behind them, having the ability to keep the ball alive,” the coach said.

“Look, we are not still up there in terms of offloads, probably mid-table, but it’s certainly something we’d like to keep working on. The best attacking sides are up there in terms of the offloads, but we can’t go from one extreme to the other, so it’s a work in progress for us.

“But I think we are already above what we were in previous seasons in terms of our offloads, so what we have been working on, in terms of our mindset, in training is starting to come through.”

Groom, who provided the scoring pass to Kolisi, feels that the manner in which the try was produced will give the Cape side greater confidence on attack going forward.

“The try itself is very encouraging for us as players, just to see the things we are working on, coming through from training on to the field. In a lot of ways, a couple of years ago, I don’t think we would’ve scored a try like that,” said the Stormers No 9, who is set to play in his 50th Super Rugby game against the Reds.

“And yet it really wasn’t anything fancy – it was just seeing something, going for it and having the right reaction from the players around us.

“I think we will take a lot from that, and also just the fact that no matter what odds we are facing in a game or how much ball we have or don’t have, we can still make a try.”

ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za

@IndyCapeSport - Independent Media