STORMERS SET TO SMARTEN UP; Rugby 365

EDDIE JONES IS DETERMINED TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE STORMERS' NATURAL STRENGTHS BY PLAYING A 'SMARTER' GAME.

The Cape side were renowned for their uncompromising physicality and miserly defence under previous coach Allister Coetzee, but despite their consistency in those areas they were criticised for a lack of attacking flair and an inability to step up in play-off matches.

Jones has made it clear that he does not want to discard what has worked well for the Stormers, but sees his role as adding some balance to their game by getting them to play a 'smarter' brand of rugby.

"Balancing your game comes from being smart, understanding the game and what you need at that time," he told rugby365 in an exclusive interview.

He explained that while power will still be important, the focus will be on using it intelligently in the right areas.

"You want powerful teams, but you want powerful plus skilful, plus smart teams, then you make yourself very hard to beat.

"We need to have that power, but we need to have other strings to our bow, we can't just be this team that relies on smashing people over, we have got to be able to move the ball into space, kick into space, find space," he said.

One of the Stormers' major blindspots in recent years has been their attacking game, with four-try bonus points few and far between and plenty of frustration about their lack of creativity. 

Jones is known for producing attacking rugby, and said that he will be drilling home certain basics to ensure that the Stormers are better equipped to create scoring opportunities. 

"It is not so much finishing as creating opportunities. To me there are some parameters of attack you have got to have - you have got to have some shape to your attack, you have got to have linkage and you have got to have motion.

"All those things give you options, when you have got options in attack then you put questions to the defence and make the defence make mistakes.

"If you are not putting questions to the defence all you are relying on then is physical power," he said.

Although the expectations in Cape Town will be high next season Jones is confident that he will be able to stand the heat, and says he is looking forward to coaching in a 'rugby country'.

"You are only under pressure when you don't know what you are doing. I am confident we can play good rugby, I don't know how long it is going to take.

"One of the attractions of coming here was definitely coming to a rugby country. I love rugby, so it is fantastic to come to a country that loves rugby," he said.

If Jones' 'smartness' can bring more balance to the Stormers game and improve their attacking potential then he will be hailed as a genius, but if not he is likely to find out how tough it can be in a 'rugby country' like South Africa.

By Michael de Vries

 Sounds encouraging. Many of us have said that SA rugby in general is over emphasizing "smash em up rugby" / power game. Jones is on the right track.
Should provide plenty for that weee chap Beeno to bleat about Of course the Mighty Chiefs will present a few challenges for opposition teams.

 JW
"Smash them up" is a general technique used in SA rugby encouraged by c0oaches like Meyer, Ludeke and Coetzee.   They saw he effects - but never realized the limitations of the system.   
Since the technique does not cater for scoring tries in the end the teams using it is always doomed.  They never gets even into the final in any tournament.  
Jones knew through experience exactly how to counter them and the Japan loss at the WC shows how easy opposing teams have in dealing with utterly predictable rugby.   
I think that Jones knows that he has the best Tight 5 combination in Super rugby - even without Kitshoff - to work with and with Burger and Elstadt around as well as the new guy Notshe - he has some reasonably good loosies as well.   The problem is that he hs virtually a vacuum in the backline with De Allende being drafted into the 7's team. 
My guess is that Jones are going to work with some young and up-and-coming players.  The likely flyhalf is going to be Robert du Preez - the eldest son of the Springbok scrummie by the same name.  He has twin brothes hwo are playing at loosie for the Sharks.
I am a bit lost about the centers without De Allende.  I think they will have a center prolem -n since De Jongh is a weak link in the backline.  To my mind Johnny Kotze is likely to be the 13 - and Jones might look at one of the Under 21's of the WP to find another center.  On the wing his likely choices with Senatala and Kolbe on &'s duty is likely to be Van Wyk and at full back he may play EW Viljoen - the latter is a guy to look out for in future.  He used to play for Greys College in Bloemfontein and they do not believe in aimless kicking.  
if all players were available I would say the backline would look as follows:-
10  Robert du Preez11  Senatla/Juan de Jongh12  De Allende/Kyle Lombard13  Johnny Kotze14  Kobus van Wyk15  EW Viljoen
I gave the replacement players for Senatla and De Allende as well.   I am not confident about the 12 position though - Jiones normally plays at 13 and was not very good for the Stromers when he did play at 12.  However, there may be something coming up that we do not know about.  They may even play Viljoen at 12, even though he is normally playing at a full back and a 13.  The other youngsters  coming through are Kyle Lombard and the Du Plessis cousins.
Insofar as Juan de Jongh is concerned he may end up on the wing - he is too physically-deficient for a center and not the type of player Eddie Jones will play in the center position.   Has the speed and may be good enough on the wing - although I always have my doubts about that guy.   
The bench will include guys like Zass and Hermanus.  Eddie will do a lot of rebuilding at the Stromers and the dull duds is going to find it very unpleasant.  What is likely to happen is that Eddie will develop Kolbe as a scrummie - look out for that as well.   However, Kolbe is also on 7's duty - so that wiil have to wait for the ne xt instalment.            


            

 EW Viljoen kept on being played at 13 for the U/21's which annoyed me, so I don't know whether he'll come into the picture there or at fullback. Daniel Du Plessis will also come into consideration at center with Leyds likely to keep his position at wing due to 'experience' even though he's awful. 

 Shezza
I do not think experience coupled to poor performance will save Leyds - he really is BS in capital letters.  After he was rejected as useless by the Force - it got into Coetzee maggoty head to play him on the wing for the Stormers.   
Jones will not hessoitate to replace the probvlem players in that backline and he is more likel;y that he would either contract a few new players or go for the Under 21 stars they have.  Daniel du Plessis is one of the Du Plessis cousins I mentioned.   
I did mention the likely backline earlier - but it may look different as well.  Howeverm the back-up flyhalf is likely to eb Jean-Luc du Plessis and I take your hint that Daniel du Plessis may be in the center position.   
I would not mind a backline consisting of the following at all:-
15   EW Viljoen14   Kobus van Wyk13   Daniel du Plessis/Johnny Kotze 12   Damian de Allende/Kyle Lombard11   Grant Herma nus10   Robert du Preez
That would be a hell of an improvement on the lot Coetzee used.