Clash Of Champions: Warriors And Stormers Kick Off URC Quarterfinals
Clash Of Champions: Warriors And Stormers Kick Off URC Quarterfinals
The Glasgow Warriors and DHL Stormers clash in a high-stakes URC quarterfinal. Two past champs, one must fall. Get the preview, key matchups and prediction.
Two former champs and no second chances. The stakes simply do not get higher than Friday evening’s URC quarterfinal clash between the Glasgow Warriors and DHL Stormers.
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Buck ending their respective seasons with summertime clashes with one another, the last time these two sides met was on the hard grounds of the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch on October 26.
Emerging victorious, the reigning champion Warriors dispelled any notions that their run to the title four months prior in Pretoria was a flash in the pan.
Since then, the two sides have taken a winding route to their eventual fourth- and fifth-place finishes in the regular season.
Kicking on in a major way, the Warriors spent the bulk of the season chasing only Leinster on the overall leaderboard. Conversely, the Stormers appeared to be staring down a potentially catastrophic season as they lingered toward the bottom of the table.
Fast forward to the final six weeks of the season, and the two sides were trending in very different directions.
Welcoming back several star players, the Stormers began to rack up wins and with it surge back up the leaderboard, while the Warriors endured an opposite fate.
Dropping from second to fourth, the Warriors not only lined up a tougher quarterfinal matchup, they now must face the prospect of a potential third trip to Dublin this season to face Leinster.
Coming up short to the tune of 65-5 across their two clashes at the Aviva Stadium, the Warriors will not fancy another tilt at their Irish rivals, even if their second showing was significantly better.
Alternatively, a trip to South Africa to face the Bulls would be the other likely semifinal matchup for the Warriors.
Conversely, the Stormers would view a trip to Dublin as a free shot at a side that has, to date, struggled to parlay its regular-season form into any semblance of knockout success.
Words From The Camp
Previewing the upcoming clash, Warriors head coach Franco Smith knows the challenges his countrymen will pose Friday evening.
“The DHL Stormers will pose one of the most dangerous attacking threats in the competition tomorrow night,” Smith said. “We know we must be at our best to meet the challenge they will bring.
“They have the ability to hurt any team with the ball in hand, mixing a physical forward pack with a backline that can spark something from anywhere. We know how special an atmosphere Scotstoun can provide on nights like these, and we know the Warrior Nation will make themselves heard tomorrow night.”
Echoing the sentiments of his opposite man, DHL Stormers boss John Dobson said his side is relishing what should be an electric atmosphere at Scotstoun Stadium.
"The buildup to this game has gone really well, and we know that it will take a huge effort to beat a good Glasgow team on their home track," Dobson said. “We have built up some good momentum recently and want to take that into this game.
"This was a very tough team to pick, with some deserving players missing out, but we are excited to see what these combinations can do."
Team News
Forced into a few key changes, Smith and the Warriors will be without the service of British and Irish Lions center Huw Jones, who is unavailable due to injury.
On a positive note, fullback Josh McKay returns to the starting lineup to create a lethal back-three combination with Kyle Rowe and captain Kyle Steyn.
Missing a key backline operator of their own, the Stormers will be without Damian Willemse, who picked up a suspension last time out against Cardiff.
Offsetting the loss of the Springboks star, the Stormers will bring back Warrick Gelant, Seabelo Senatla, Evan Roos and Ruben van Heerden to the starting team.
Key Matchup
Week in, week out, we are seeing close matches decided by big-game players in the fly-half position.
Where some players crumble under the pressure, others flourish, and in this clash, we have two No. 10s who relish the responsibility of getting their team over the line.
We'll start with Warriors' utility star Tom Jordan, who was central to his side’s upset wins over Munster and the Bulls in last season’s run through the knockout stages.
Bringing a hard edge with his physicality, the New Zealand-born Scotland international is equally comfortable at 10, 12 and 15, making him a matchup nightmare for defenses.
Certainly, he will be operating as the first-choice distributor, but he no doubt will offer a second-touch threat off the shoulder of the Lions-bound Sione Tuipulotu.
Facing Jordan is arguably the brightest fly-half prospect in pro rugby in Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who, like Jordan, can operate across the back line.
This versatility could lead to an early introduction of fellow Boks playmaker Manie Libbok, which would allow the Stormers to change the attacking picture when the match opens up in the later stages.
Offering a dynamic running game to go with his pinpoint passing and kicking game, the 23-year-old is about as close to the perfect prototypical 10 as there is in the game today.
Each man no doubt will be looking to get an early shot on the other, and how they go about controlling this fixture will be fascinating to track.
Prediction
Without sitting on the fence, this clash is about as close to a pick’em fixture as you will find at this stage of the season.
If we had been looking at this clash on Jan. 1, it would’ve been overwhelming in favor of the Warriors. However, at the current moment, the two teams' formations have been trending toward meeting in the middle.
Certainly, the Warriors looked better against Leinster last time out, but they still only scored a lone try, despite bundles of possession.
Throw into the mix the loss of Jones, and while his replacement, Stafford McDowall, is a top player, he is far from being the cutting-edge threat of Jones.
In the pack, losing Zander and Matt Fagerson, as well as Jack Dempsey, further robs the Warriors of gainline bashers.
Without Fagerson, Murphy Walker will be tasked with holding off the power of the Stormers scrum, which could prove to be a key decider in this match.
In no way are we writing off the Warriors, given the quality of their coaching staff and playing group, but form is generally indicative, and the two sides have been on vastly different paths of late.
Based on their power game, we are backing the Stormers to get the job done on the road to move on to what previously was an unfathomable semifinal. Stormers by 6.
Team Rosters
Glasgow Warriors
Josh McKay, Kyle Rowe, Stafford McDowall, Sione Tuipulotu, Kyle Steyn (CAPT), Tom Jordan, George Horne, Jamie Bhatti, Gregor Hiddleston, Murphy Walker, Alex Samuel, Scott Cummings, Euan Ferrie, Rory Darge, Henco Venter
Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Nathan McBeth, Sam Talakai, Max Williamson, Jack Mann, Macenzzie Duncan, Jamie Dobie, Adam Hastings
DHL Stormers
Warrick Gelant, Ben Loader, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Dan du Plessis, Seabelo Senatla, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Stefan Ungerer, Ali Vermaak, Andre-Hugo Venter, Neethling Fouche, Salmaan Moerat (CAPT), Ruben van Heerden, Paul de Villiers, Marcel Theunissen, Evan Roos
Replacements: Joseph Dweba, Vernon Matongo, Sazi Sandi, JD Schickerling, Connor Evans, Louw Nel, Herschel Jantjies, Manie Libbok
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