Cape Town - While the Stormers will be looking to make it three home wins in a row, Cardiff will be aiming to prevent a third successive United Rugby Championship (URC) defeat when they face the Capetonians at Cape Town Stadium on Sunday.
As things stand, the Stormers can feel confident about their chances heading into the encounter.
John Dobson’s side are ninth on the URC log and have won five of their 11 games, while Cardiff, in 14th spot, have won four from nine.
Confidence is of course on the Stormers’ side following their 55-7 thrashing of Zebre Parma last weekend. Cardiff, in contrast, were savaged 37-20 by the Lions.
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But this doesn’t mean that Dobson sees them as any less of a challenge.
“Cardiff are a good side, all the Welsh teams are very physical and play with good structure,” Dobson said.
“They were training in Cape Town last week, so that will be another challenge. We can’t rest on our laurels going into this game.
“I played against Cardiff a few times when I was overseas and it can be really tough.”
Cardiff head coach Dai Young highlighted the Stormers’ setpiece prowess and the tempo at which they can play as some of their biggest threats.
“The tempo and physicality of the Stormers’ game will be a real test for us. Setpiece will always be a challenge.
“We’ve obviously got to win collisions and make sure they’re playing off slowish ball. That will give us the chance to halt their go-forward.
⚡ Can @Cardiff_Rugby upset @THESTORMERS in the @Vodacom #URC this afternoon? The clash in Cape Town kicks off at 14h00. @URCOfficial_RSA pic.twitter.com/0hWAa2NOHU
“For me, it’s all about the gain line, physicality and winning collisions. If they get quick ball, it could be a long night for us. They’re a real force. They play real attractive rugby with a dominant force up front.
“They have backs with pace to burn and some real physicality. It’ll be a real challenge but one we’re looking forward to.
“The tempo and physicality of their game will be a real test for us. They can all play rugby. They can all carry strongly, pass and the backs hit the ball at real pace.”
The match kicks off at 2pm.
Stormers team: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Adre Smith, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16 Chad Solomon, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Ernst van Rhyn, 20 Junior Pokomela, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Tim Swiel, 23 Rikus Pretorius.
Cardiff team: 15 Matthew Morgan, 14 Jason Harries, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Theo Cabango, 10 Jarrod Evans, 9 Lloyd Williams, 8 James Botham, 7 Ellis Jenkins, 6 Josh Turnbull (c), 5 Rory Thornton, 4 Matthew Screech, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Kristian Dacey, 1 Corey Domachowski.
Replacements: 16 Keiron Assiratti, 17 Brad Thyer, 18 Will Davies-King, 19 Teddy Williams, 20 Will Boyde, 21 Ellis Bevan, 22 Garyn Smith, 23 Hallam Amos