Brown still on Stormers bench

[tdevil]

Either Vodacom Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus is keeping the Western Force guessing or he has come up with a minor surprise in his starting team for Friday’s Vodacom Super 14 clash with the Western Force in Perth.
Tony Brown came on as a replacement in the narrow defeat to the Blues in Auckland last week and made an immediate impact. With Peter Grant switching from flyhalf to inside centre, the Stormers backs looked more penetrative and incisive than they had been earlier in the game.

However Erasmus, at least according to the team sheet released from Perth on Wednesday, has resisted the temptation to move the Kiwi into the starting line-up. Instead he will continue to play off the bench, with Gcobani Bobo and Jean de Villiers continuing as the midfield combination.

It had been speculated that Bobo would make way for Grant to move into inside centre, with Jean de Villiers switching to outside centre. Brown though told the Cape Argus on Tuesday that he considered Grant a fine prospect and predicted that he would become the Springbok answer at No 10, so maybe he is keen to continue his mentorship of the Stormers pivot from the reserve bench.

There is one change to the team that lost to a late penalty at Eden Park, with Andries Bekker returning at lock after being rested in Auckland. But he does not come back for Ross Skeate, as might have been anticipated. Instead, Skeate retains his place, but just moves to No 4 lock in place of Adriaan Fondse to accommodate Bekker’s return.

Bekker and Skeate were the established Stormers lock pairing the season before last but injuries have prevented them from playing as a combination much in the last two years. Both of them will be eager to get reunited as a starting unit, although they have played together when Skeate has come on as a late replacement in recent matches.

Tiaan Liebenberg returns to the squad as a reserve after flying home in the early stages of the tour with an injury that has now been rehabilitated.

Stormers team: Conrad Jantjes, Tonderai Chavhanga, Gcobani Bobo, Jean de Villiers (captain), Sireli Naqelevuki, Peter Grant, Ricky Januarie, Luke Watson, Francois Louw, Schalk Burger, Andries Bekker, Ross Skeate, Brian Mujati, Schalk Brits, JD Moller.

Reserves: Tiaan Liebenberg, Brok Harris, Adriaan Fondse, Robbie Diack, Conrad Hoffmann, Gio Aplon, Tony Brown.

[GIGS20]

Whether Brown plays at Flyhalf or not it won't have a bearing on the result of the game, This game will be won and lost inside that position, at the breakdown. Simple, if we win there we win everywhere if we don't we're in trouble across the park!

I predict Bam Bam and Scotty will have been fed angry pills since the end of the 'landers game and will be looking to tear some brand new gaping arseholes for the Stormers back row, ably supported by sustained pressure from our locks.

Browny will (as usual) be everywhere, and run a bloody country mile with the ball!

That should translate to a whole mess of back foot ball for the Stormers backs and they're not good enough to worry us if that's the case!