We can still improve – Coetzee
DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee was pleased with his team's impressive 32-12 victory over local rivals the Sharks. Commenting at the post-match press conference Coetzee said: "It was a good win and I am very satisfied with the outcome.
We played well tonight, especially in the first half where we scored 3 tries in the first 25 minutes.
"Last time at Newlands we were disappointing. Tonight I felt we stood up physically and we once again did well on defence. We have been criticised for not scoring many tries, but if we are preventing the opposition from scoring then I am happy."
Opposition coach John Plumtree was very complimentary of the DHL Stormers performance and physicality, but Coetzee was not getting too carried away by his team's display. "I think we still have a lot to work on. We created several chances, which we didn't take and in semi finals or playoff games you have to take these opportunities.
"Beating the Sharks twice is very good, but there is still a lot of rugby to be played and as we shift our focus to the next game, we will still look to improve."
Captain Schalk Burger was happy to see a good performance having disappointed in the past following a bye week. "I think that is the first time we have gotten it right after a bye. It came at the right time for us. It gave us a chance to sort out the niggles and I think we looked refreshed tonight.
"The Sharks are an excellent side and luckily tonight the bounce of the ball went our way. We are very happy with the performance and now we begin preparing for the next challenge."
That challenge comes on Saturday in the form of the Crusaders. Many critics have labelled Todd Blackadder's men as favourites for the Vodacom Super Rugby crown and man of the match Jean de Villiers knows that both him and the team as a whole will be truly tested at DHL Newlands next weekend.
"It will be a huge challenge against the Crusaders. They are one of the form teams and their centre pairing of Sonny Bill Williams and Robert Fruean have probably been the best pairing in this year's competition. It will be very tough, but as a rugby player this is the kind of challenge you want, so we are looking forward to the challenge."
With another huge crowd expected for the clash, it promises to be another memorable clash at DHL Newlands on Saturday.