07/05/2008 12:43

Gavin Rich

Cape Town - After a couple of weeks where they have been disrupted by injuries, the Stormers have found some welcome stability as they build up to Saturday's penultimate Super 14 league fixture against the Waratahs at Newlands.

Both coaches, Rassie Erasmus of the Stormers and the Waratahs' Ewen McKenzie, appear to be in agreement - this is not just the biggest match of the weekend, it may well be the big match of the season so far.

Certainly it shapes up as a quarter-final, with the winner in the pound seats, and the loser possibly dropping out of the race for a place in the playoffs.

The Waratahs are currently second on the log and the Stormers are fourth, yet there is only two points separating them on the log.

So the Stormers will leapfrog the Waratahs if they win, and if the Force can do the trick against the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday, the Cape team could even be second on the log come Saturday evening.

At the same time, a defeat will make them vulnerable to the intentions of the teams currently outside of the top four, including the Sharks, who are searching for a maximum of ten log points over the next two weeks to give them a chance of semi-final qualification.

Massive advantage

The Stormers had a couple of players away with the usual minor post-match ailments on Monday, but for the rest of the week they have had a full squad, and Erasmus looks poised to name the same team that beat the Brumbies when on Wednesday he announces his combination for a match he has described as being "as big as the one against the Hurricanes".

Erasmus made several changes, some of them enforced and some not, for the last two games against the Highlanders and the Brumbies, so the fact that the team that starts against the Waratahs started last week should be a massive advantage as the Stormers search for slickness at the business end of the competition.

The Waratahs, meanwhile, have made it known that while they rate the Stormers as a quality side, they believe they can recover from last week's defeat in Pretoria by recording the win that they need to virtually assure themselves of home ground advantage in the semi-finals.

"They are a pretty complete team this year, strong in the lineout and the back row," said skipper Phil Waugh.

"But we have come to Cape Town to win. It was disappointing to lose at Loftus, but in the context of the competition, Saturday's is clearly a very important game."

Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie said he was looking forward to pitting himself against Erasmus in what will be a battle of wits.

"With Rassie there is always something going on, I know he is highly regarded over here for his innovations, he is always a thinker. I like it that way, but we have studied the Stormers very closely and they can expect a few surprises from us too," said McKenzie.