Stormers finish as first SA team to no longer be in play off race- useless....

• Fixtures
• Results
• Logs
• Weekend Teams
• SuperBru

• Blitzbok Kok says no to WP for Currie Cup
• Bulls hold the key for Lions, Sharks and Jaguares
• 'We threw it away' - upset Bulls coach

Garrin Lambley - Sport24 Editor

Cape Town - The Stormers became the first South African team to be officially eliminated from 2018 Super Rugby playoff contention when they went down with a whimper 25-14 to the Jaguaresin Buenos Aires on Saturday.

READ: SA Super Rugby playoff picture: Sharks alive, Stormers buried

The match thankfully clashed with the Uruguay v Portugal Soccer World Cup Round of 16 showdown which offered sports fans an alternative to the debacle which unfolded - from a Stormers point of view - at the Estadio Jose Amalfitani.

This is the sixth Super Rugby tournament in the current 15-team format.

Having started out as Super 10, the tournament then increased to Super 12, then Super 14, then Super 15 (between 2011-2015), then to Super 18 in 2016 and 2017, before reverting to Super 15 this year.

In the five previous Super 15 editions, the Stormers have won the following number of pool matches each year:

2011 - 12

2012 - 14

2013 - 9

2014 - 7

2015 - 10

With a single match remaining in the 2018 campaign (at home against the Sharks on Saturday, July 7 at 17:15), the Stormers boast a meagre five victories, making this their worst Super 15 season ever.

Those five victories have all come at home - against the Blues, Bulls, Jaguares, Rebels and Reds - representing a worrying on-the-road trend for Robbie Fleck's men.


The Stormers are currently rock bottom of the SA Conference, tied on points with the Bulls, who have a game in hand over their Cape rivals.

Should the Stormers by hook or by crook finish ahead of the Bulls, it would still represent their worst SA Conference finishing position - ever.

In the five previous final SA Conference standings, the Stormers have never ended lower than third.

2011 - 1st

2012 - 1st


2013 - 3rd

2014 - 3rd

2015 - 1st

For a team that promised so much pre-season, 2018 will go down a horror show for the Stormers.

For a union that contends year in, year out at Under-19, Under-21 and Varsity Cup levels, and annually provides the majority of the Junior Springboks for the World Rugby U20 Championship, the depth is there, it's just not being translated to Super Rugby level.

Is it therefore a coaching issue?

Probably.

Do Director of Rugby Gert Smal and coach Fleck have to bear the brunt of the criticism?

Absolutely.

Injuries are no excuse either as every team has to deal with them throughout the course of the season.


The Stormers' 'faithful' has given them their continued support from the stands, the team simply hasn't delivered on the field.

Lets face facts - the whole StormerspWP set=up is a face.   Wakefield and his  cronies has bankrupted the franchise and they have caused major interference problems for the whole set-up,

One cannot really blame Smal - he has to put up with the BS.   He wanted Jones as coach and the English  swiped him - his next choice was Mitchell and Wakefield vetoed it.   Then he was forced into keeping Fleck - a nice guy - but not  coaches backside.

Then they have players in the squad nobody else would want - to of the most useless  wings ever - one a reject from the Western Force and the other utterly useless in defense.   Next they have a NH scrummie rejected by his English club.   Next - but probably the worst loosie combination in the whole Super Rugby set-up,   Kolisi is a political selection - but his actual contribution is minimal,   Carr was a flash in the pan in 2014 and since then useless.   Du Toit could be utilized better and spend a lot of time as a loosie.   If they want a thinking player - put him at 8.  However they have no forward capable of ball protection and recovery.  

Sad to see and the result was to be expected.   Johann Rupert tried to get them out of the mess but lack of cooperation from Wakefield and his fellow incompetents caused him to walk away in disgust.     

Great post Mike. Wakefield is like that other clown Van Rooyen who destroyed the Lions, once the richest provincial union in the entire world. Wakefield is very busy destroying WP and the the debt the Union is in and the talk of selling Newlands is all the proof you need.

Beyond being disgusted.

Mozart

Just a question - when serious issues are discussed - why do you invariably come up with dud speak?

Really?? You'd want to to talk rugby with him?

Nah ... think I'll rather give that a miss and go help the missus make potato salad ... and stuff.

I have not seen his wife yet, but anything would be better than talking about a real game plan with Fleck I suppose....

Not his wife, Shark!!!

Mine!!

Then again ... she probably knows more about rugby than he does.

So is Fleck's wife making the salad then...or what?

What's this I hear about a braai en slaai at Flecks house?

Flecks wife is the shortest one (in the middle with the button up t-shirt). I just realised I have other plans and will not be able to make the Braai after all. 

Fleck is wearing pink, so it is clear who wears the trousers in that setup. 

Aag p!ssoff Shark!??