Ruben Schoeman of the Lions tackled by Bongi Mbonambi (Ashley Vlotman/Gallo)

• The Stormers beat the Lions at Newlands on Saturday, but the leadership was not happy with the performance of the side. 
• Captain Siya Kolisi was critical of his own individual display, saying it would not be good enough for international rugby.  
• Coach John Dobson acknowledged that this level will not be enough to challenge for the Super Rugby Unlocked title.
  

A win is a win, so they say, but for the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday night, there was not much to celebrate. 

The hosts began their Super Rugby Unlocked campaign – they had a bye in round one last weekend – with a 23-17 win over the Elton Jantjies-inspired Lions who, for the majority of the contest, looked to be the better side. 

Two tries in the space of 12 minutes from centres Rikus Pretorius and Dan du Plessis ultimately got the job done for the Stormers, but speaking after the match both coach John Dobson and captain Siya Kolisi revealed how sombre the mood in the dressing room had been after the final whistle. 

The Stormers, in their final run of matches at Newlands before a move to Cape Town Stadium in 2021, desperately want to win this version of Super Rugby and then the Currie Cup that will follow. 

Neither of those goals will be achieved, however, if this is the standard they consistently deliver until January next year. 

The Stormers kicked aimlessly, had little evidence of any continuity or enterprise on attack, struggled at set piece and simply dropped too many balls. 

Kolisi perhaps summed it up best. 

“The way I played today, if I had to go play in an international game, there is no ways I would have survived,” he said. 

Dobson, too, was not impressed. 

“The changeroom felt like a loss and we were very disappointed with our performance. There is no doubt we will be better for it,” he said. 

“As Siya said in the changeroom, individually there were some really substandard performances.

“We won the territory battle really well, but how we did it worried me. In that second half we were kicking kicks down the field that weren’t contestable or distance.

“We asked a lot of ourselves to defend that and it almost became like a training drill going down the middle of the field.

“In five lineouts we failed to launch, whether we got the ball ripped or just lost the lineout.

“There was a little period in the first half when we got through some phases but, beyond that, not really. We certainly weren’t effective on attack and it’s something we have to work on.”

Dobson did suggest that perhaps having a bye in week one, when the other six competing sides in the tournament secured valuable minutes in their players, may have ended up being a disadvantage. 

“It felt like we hadn’t played for a very long time and maybe the other teams have got that benefit of the extra game last week,” he said. 

Kolisi, meanwhile, acknowledged that playing in front of an empty Newlands had been a strange experience. 

“Even the warm-up was awkward. I know we have already played here in the Marvel game, but this is different,” he said.

“It’s not the same, honestly. We normally take it (the crowd) for granted and I don’t think we’ve understood what it means to us until now. The way we started today, usually the crowd would pick us up when we make mistake after mistake.”

But, in what has now become familiar fashion, the Bok captain was not making excuses. 

“We felt like everything was going the Lions’ way. The one thing we spoke about was starting the second half with intensity and we definitely didn’t do that,” he said.

“It felt like a loss.”

The Stormers are next in action when they take on the Pumas at Mbombela Stadium on Friday, while the Lions host the Cheetahs on Saturday. 

Clinton Swart

• The Bulls will seemingly fight fire with fire by selecting Clinton Swart to counter Frans Steyn when they take on the Cheetahs.
• The 27-year-old inside centre, a former Cheetah, has a reputation for being a direct player and could stand up well to his Springbok opponent.
• Jake White, the Bulls’ director of rugby, though also notes it’s part of his journey of discovery to get to know his players better.

There’s little scientific evidence to suggest that rock will break rock but Jake White, at least in rugby terms, is going to give it a bash anyway.

With the imposing presence of Frans Steyn looming for his Bulls in their Super Rugby Unlocked meeting with the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Friday evening, White is going to counter the threat with Clinton Swart.

The 27-year-old utility back – equally adept at inside centre or flyhalf – will make his debut for the team from Loftus, ironically against his former teammates and boasts a feisty reputation that is hoped will disrupt his illustrious Springbok opponent.

Swart, who played under White in Japan for Toyota Verblitz, is significantly shorter than Steyn yet packs a punch in midfield.

“I suppose in a way his selection is designed to counter Frans,” said White.

“I know what Frans can offer. If we give Frans lots of gainline, they’ll play off of him, so in a lot of ways it had an influence on Clinton’s selection.”

But it’s not the sole reason for the Bulls’ director of rugby breaking up a promising combination of Stedman Gans and Cornal Hendricks.

White has made no secret of the fact that he’s on a journey of discovery still, steadily gaining better insights into players he hasn’t worked with extensively previously.

“I don’t really know all these players, so I’d like to try different combinations. It gives me a chance to see them play,” he said. 

“At the same time I think we can appreciate that we’re not going to get away with playing Stedman and Cornal every week. Clinton has trained really well, he comes from Free State and played for the Cheetahs, so he probably knows the stadium well.”

Corniel van Zyl, Cheetahs assistant coach, isn’t expecting anything less from the Bulls.

“Frans made a very good debut for us. He’s a Springbok and I’m convinced they have been working on a plan to contain him,” he said.

“He’s a strong runner and an important component both on attack and defence, but whether they target him actively remains to be seen.”

Kick-off is at 19:00. 

Kevin Anderson. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

• There are distinct similarities about the declining tennis careers of Andy Murray and Kevin Anderson.
• Both are battling to make it into the world’s top 100 and are hampered by injuries.
• A talented younger generation is also increasingly blocking their path.

Amid the spate of problems blocking the way of Andy Murray and South Africa’s Kevin Anderson as they attempt to revive their careers to a level resembling something of the past is a growing group of young guns with blistering talent.

And demonstrating in no small measure how this young brigade with exceptional talent, vast potential and an awesome level of fitness is making its presence felt with a growing degree of awe is the manner 22-year-old Russian dynamo Andrey Rublev not only beat Anderson in the current French Open at Roland Garros, but crushed the 6ft 8in South African with a degree of disdain in his 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 third round victory.

Rublev broke Anderson’s renowned serve no fewer than five times in the one-sided match, never looked like dropping his own service once and dominated most of the torrid rallies almost as a formality.

Even more of a one-sided exercise was Stan Wawrinka’s 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 first round demolition at Roland Garros that left Murray bothered, bewildered, and well-nigh embarrassed.

With three Grand Slam titles to his credit, six further Grand Slam final appearances and a short period as the world’s No 1, Britain’s 33-year-old Murray boasts an immense career record of far greater immensity than the impressive achievements of the 34-year-old Anderson, who has  qualified for two Grand Slam finals and reached a ranking of fifth in the world for a brief period.

But presently there are distinct similarities about the declining careers of Murray and Anderson, who are both battling to make it into the world’s top 100 players, no less; both have been hampered in no small manner by recurring injuries in the past two years, which have required surgeries and found that increasing age has also seemingly proved a factor in blunting their prowess.

And now emerging on the horizon to further add to Murray and Anderson’s comeback attempt for a place of renewed ranking prominence is the emergence of such feared adversaries as Dominic Thiem, the recent US Open winner, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Denis Shapovalov, Diego Schwartzman, Felix Auger Aliassime, the 19-year-old Italian sensation, Jannik Sinner, who has already been touted as a  future world No 1 – and, of course, Rublev as well in the elite group.

This depth in talent, added to present form guides, suggests there is little or no chance of Murray or Anderson again featuring among the world’s top 10 ranked players. Indeed a place among the top 20 would be quite an achievement.

Interestingly, all-time tennis legends Novak Djokovic (33) and Rafael Nadal (34) have thus far warded off the challenge to their status as the world’s No 1 and 2 players respectively.

But what of the iconic Roger Federer, who holds the record of most Grand Slam titles (20) ahead of Nadal (19) and Djokovic (17), when he makes his announced return to tennis at the age of 39 next year following an absence due to knee surgery?

Will he too find the young guns too hot to handle – much like Murray and Anderson!