The DHL Stormers are back on a fast and furious 4G pitch in their Vodacom URC tour finale in Cardiff, where Ruhan Nel hopes to drift to a morale-boosting victory.
On the back of three successive losses for the first time in the Vodacom URC, the Stormers are looking to end their four-week tour with a win in Cardiff after an improved performance in the narrow defeat to defending champions Munster in Limerick.
However, in order to do so, the Stormers will need to master the art of playing on a synthetic 4G pitch, which is often quicker than what South Africans are used to on the heavier grass pitches at home.
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As a former Blitzbok, Nel played on similar surfaces in the World Sevens Series, but the veteran outside centre will get his first taste of 4G action in the URC under the Friday night lights.
“We had our training session today on the 4G and we actually spoke about it after one cycle of training,” Nel said.
“You almost feel like you are half a metre too quick. You don’t have that resistance underneath you feet that you would on grass. You feel quicker when you are running and you get up to top speed a lot quicker. The threat is there from over-running. You need to be aware that you need to give yourself time on the ball.
“It’s a completely different dynamic. The breakdowns are quicker, you get there quicker. I was lucky enough to experience the 4G a few years ago with the sevens, but I haven’t played on this sort of pitch since the URC started, I was either injured or not involved in the game.
“There’s a big difference from playing on grass, but it’s just about creating some time for ourselves and not rushing decisions.”
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The Stormers opened their tour on a 4G surface in a 20-9 loss to Glasgow Warriors and backline coach Dawie Snyman says they should master the pitch with time.
“It’s almost just about the time that you get to play on it. It’s about getting used to it, because there is a bit of a different timing element to it,” Snyman explained.
“The games are a little bit faster and breakdowns are faster, so it’s difficult to get your stealers in. It’s one thing we need to adjust to, although I’m not sure how we do it because we never train on it. Teams that play on it regularly in Europe, they get both training time and playing time on it.
“There are one or two elements that we realise we could’ve done better at against Glasgow. Hopefully we get it right on Friday.”
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