RUGBY NEWS - After a few weeks where they were operating under the radar overseas it is the DHL Stormers who are feeling the heat and most sharply in focus locally as the Vodacom Super Rugby season goes into round five.
Apart from the fact that the Stormers desperately need to win so they can arrest the sequence of defeats that started with their first overseas game, the Blues’ win over the Emirates Lions in Johannesburg last week prompted the return of all those hoary old questions about the relative strengths of New Zealand and South African rugby.
The Vodacom Bulls had made a strong statement in beating the Hurricanes on the opening weekend, but with the Lions rated the top South African team and the Blues rated five in New Zealand, the message sent out wasn’t a positive one. The Stormers, because of their strong forward depth, are probably the second strongest local side, and can arrest a bit of the negativity if they win against the Blues at Newlands.
