RGR OPENER PREVIEW: Stormers out to test All Black reinvention
The DHL Stormers are preparing to face the All Blacks in a high-profile rugby match in Cape Town. The Stormers face challenges regarding team cohesion and match fitness due to the timing of the tour during their pre-season.
Why it matters
This match represents a significant sporting event with historical context, testing the readiness of a club team against an international powerhouse.
It’s here, the day we have been waiting for ever since the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour concept was first mooted, and there couldn’t be a better place than Cape Town and a better team than the DHL Stormers for the All Blacks to start their odyssey against.
Yes, certainly the timing could have been better from the Stormers’ viewpoint. Normally this would only be the start of their pre-season. It effectively is. They’ve only been back from their holidays for three weeks. Which is hardly enough time for them to get battle hardened - their coach John Dobson admits they should have had a warmup game - and the All Blacks are effectively their first warmup game for a Vodacom URC season that is still eight weeks away.
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