United Rugby Championship semi-final: DHL Stormers v Connacht, Saturday, Cape Town Stadium, 3pm (Live on TG4, Premier Sports)
Coach Andy Friend enters another emotional week of maybe this is his last game with Connacht and maybe it is not. It was the same last time out, when Connacht beat Ulster to set up Saturday’s Cape Town semi-final.
When or if Connacht exit, the Australian director of rugby will depart after five years in Galway. He has already played his final home game against Cardiff.
“I am emotional. But I am able to hold it in check. It might be a different story come the end of the game,” said Friend. “We are all aware of the prize that lies ahead. It would be very special. But we are not looking beyond kickoff time.”
Yesterday in Cape Town the wind was blowing “like Galway” and the same is expected today as Connacht hope to replay their 2016 season when they beat Leinster 20-10 in the Pro12 Grand Final in Edinburgh.
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With that in mind, a final against Leinster or Munster who meet in Aviva Stadium in the later semi-final, would at least allow Friend to know it would be his last match in charge.
His ambition with the province was to leave it in a better place than he found it. With today’s United Rugby Championship semi-final and qualification for the Champions Cup guaranteed for next season, he has certainly achieved that goal.
The same 15 players and the same bench that beat Ulster have been selected again for the trip with Jack Carty captaining the side and Irish winger, Mack Hansen travelling as one of the recently announced Irish Player’s Player of the Year nominees.
“That performance is being rewarded,” said Friend of last week’s win in Belfast. “What you want to try and do is replicate the energy, the physical intent and the want. If we can bring that same intensity, we can ask questions.”
The Stormers have two injury-enforced changes in their starting line-up. With Deon Fourie and Marvin Orie ruled out, Willie Engelbrecht will start at openside flanker and Ben-Jason Dixon comes in at lock.
As mini battles go Connacht have won the first of those. The 36-year-old Fourie is a menace at the breakdown, while Springbok lock Orie’s shoulder problem means Stormers are missing a hard player in the pack and a lineout general.
Fourie is also expected to make the Springbok’s Rugby World Cup 2023 squad later this year. Those two omissions probably swings the battle of the packs a little more towards Connacht.
But beating last year’s champions on a home pitch that frankly looks to be in poor condition against a side that has X-factor players like outhalf, Manie Libbok and fullback, Damian Willemse is fraught with danger. Friend knows it.
“You can’t play the perfect game, errors happen,” said Friend. “Can we stem the bleed. Errors will occur and we will have to react pretty damn quickly.
“You need your big name players to step up. They did that for us last week. I’m really happy with the leadership. But there are young bucks stepping up as well.”
Connacht know Stormers are dangerous in their opponents 22. Like Connacht they enjoy playing rugby and will try to get the ball to the edges quickly and use players who Friend describes as “very, very hard to stop.”
The sides have met twice before with one win each, Connacht beating them 19-17 in the Sportsground and Stormers earning a 38-15 victory in Danie Craven Stadium.
“The physicality has to be there again. It is going to take some bodies in front,” said Friend. “That will be the big thing. We know they are extremely good in opponents 22. We have to be good in that area too.
“Both teams like to play an open game of rugby, so you will see a lot of rugby out there. Last Friday night, to anyone outside the squad, we were the clear underdogs, and tomorrow will be no different. Yet for us on the inside, there is enormous belief in our ability, and that is all that matters.”
It will be a 99th appearance for Tom Farrell, who starts in the centre with Bundee Aki, while Jack Aungier will earn his 50th cap for the province when he comes into the game from the bench.
STORMERS: D Willemse; A Davids, R Nel, D du Plessis, L Zas; M Libbok, H Jantjies; S Kitshoff (capt), J Dweba, F Malherbe, B Dixon, R van Heerden, W Engelbrecht, H Dayimani, E Roos. Replacements: J Kotze, A Vermaak, N Fouche, C Evans, M Theunissen, P de Wet, J du Plessis, S Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
CONNACHT: T O’Halloran; J Porch, T Farrell, B Aki, M Hansen; J Carty (capt), C Blade; D Buckley, D Heffernan, F Bealham, J Murphy, N Murray, S Hurley-Langton, C Oliver, C Prendergast. Replacements: D Tierney-Martin, J Duggan, J Aungier, O Dowling, J Butler, K Marmion, T Daly, B Ralston.
Referee: M Adamson (SRU)
