Can Stormers handle the altitude?; Rugby 365

Having made a fast start to the season, the Stormers must show that they can handle the rarified air at the top of the standings. The Cape side have won all four of their matches this season, and now face a tricky home game against the Chiefs before a bye and their overseas tour. Having built up some real momentum, their challenge is now to capitalise on it and show that they can handle the pressure that will come along with being frontrunners. Coach Allister Coetzee said that the key to their encouraging start was picking the right team for the opposition and adapting their game where necessary. "I think what we got right from th first game against the Bulls was that we wouldn't necessarily select the best side, but the side that was most ready at the time in terms of game-time, conditioning and mental preparation and tactically and technically ready for that game. "We are focusing on ourselves as a team and trying to improve in every game," he said. Coetze placed a focus on the breakdown and scrum ahead of their coastal derby against the Sharks, and was pleased with how his team responded in those areas. "We wanted to step up our physical intensity at the breakdown and we did that, we scrummed well but obviously our line-out is still an issue which we are not happy about, but it is something that we can rectify. "It was good to see how we settled down nicely from the first few penalties in terms of our discipline. We thought it would be one of those games which would be a dogfight out there so discipline was key for us and I think we got it right in the end. "It shows the maturity of the side, they might be young but honestly a couple of guys really rally around Duane [Vermeulen] to make good decisions on the field," he said. His team now face a Chiefs side that will be smarting from their defeat at home against the Highlanders, and Coetzee knows they can take nothing for granted. "One thing about this competition is that you have got to be up for every game each week, and the key for us is to make sure that we plan well, our players recover well and prepare well. "We might be four for nought but that counts for nothing next week against the Chiefs. We are back at Newlands against a quality side so we have to pitch up well," he said. The Stormers coach will be further boosted by the return of the likes of Ruan Botha and Kobus van Wyk this week, with a clean bill of health after the Sharks game despite some concerns about Eben Etzebeth. "I am not 100% sure about Michael Rhodes, but Kobus van Wyk and Ruan Botha will definitely be back," he said. By Michael de Vries