Coleman may get a second chance
Stormers flyhalf Kurt Coleman must have felt a bit apprehensive when he took the field against the Cheetahs at the Free State Stadium.
|||In life, second chances don’t come around too often. It’s not always possible to make amends for your mistakes. But, when those chances do arrive, you have to show the character to make things right.
On Saturday afternoon Stormers flyhalf Kurt Coleman must have felt a bit apprehensive when he took the field against the Cheetahs at the Free State Stadium after Robert du Preez left the field with an injured knee.
It was less than a year ago, in this corresponding fixture, that Coleman came on after halftime to try and ignite a Stormers team that were again stuttering against the Cheetahs in their back yard. His general play was good enough to help the Stormers get back in the match, but he missed four relatively easy penalties that in the end contributed to his team’s defeat.
Goodness knows what went through Coleman’s head when he was asked to convert Sikhumbuzo Notshe try from almost right in front of the posts, or a penalty a few minutes later, which was similar to one he missed in 2015.
But Coleman showed great temperament to slot the conversion and two penalties that eventually helped the Stormers break their Free State hoodoo with a 20-10 win.
Coleman now looks set to continue in the flyhalf spot this Saturday when the Stormers take on the Sharks at Newlands.
The extent of Du Preez’s knee injury is not yet known, but the Stormers’ management are sceptical about him playing any sort of role this weekend. The way he hobbled off the field in the 44th minute suggests that it could be the sort of injury that will keep him on the sidelines for quite a while.
This could give Coleman the chance to have an extended run in the No 10 jersey, and maybe allow him to settle in that position after being in and out of the team over the last few years.
Towards the end of the Stormers’ 2014 campaign Coleman definitely looked the part, a flyhalf with a bit of class and the ability to take the ball flat. However, he lost his place to Demitri Cartakilis in the Currie Cup, and then at the start of last year’s Super Rugby.
When Coleman did get his chances, like in last year’s game against the Cheetahs away, he couldn’t make them count. It seemed like he put too much pressure on himself to perform, and that affected his game badly.
The little cameo in Bloemfontein is going to give him a lot of confidence, but will also help the Stormers management to trust him a little bit more, because there were murmurs in the offseason that they had lost belief in him.
While the Stormers would have been happy with their first win in Bloemfontein in four attempts, they didn’t play as well as in their first weekend of the competition against the Bulls.
It was a strange old match, with both teams making error after error. The lineouts were a bit of a free-for-all, as the Springbok locks Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Lood de Jager stole plenty of lineouts. The scrums, too, were strange, as the Cheetahs had the upper hand in the first half, while the Stormers fought back in the second half.
Both teams, though, would be really disappointed about their play with ball-in-hand, especially the Stormers, a team that looks like they have a long way to go before they can play this fast-paced ball-in-hand game they have been talking about.
The quick hands that led to rookie wing Leolin Zas’ try in the first half was the best piece of play they delivered, while Notshe’ finished off brilliantly in the second half after a quick- tap penalty.
Other than that, though, the Stormers’ execution at high pace and their option-taking on attack are still not on par with the best of the competition. But at least the attacking intent is there, and if they persevere with this new direction, they could become a complete side.
“Overall, not happy with our performance. As good we were last week, we weren’t as accurate as we should’ve been (in this game), and credit to the Cheetahs – they got under our skin for the first 60. But pleased with the end result and the last 20 minutes,” Fleck said.
“I think we were too loose in that first half, but the halftime chat was good and we were better in the second half. It was just a matter of having patience, really, and we didn’t have that in the first 60.” - Cape Times