DYNAMIC: Pieter-Steph du Toit takes on the Bulls defence at Newlands on Saturday. Picture: THINUS MARITZ/GALLO IMAGES

Related articles

In this article

IT WAS telling that vanquished Bulls coach Nollis Marais singled out Stormers locks Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit as two of the major reasons for his team’s 33-9 defeat at Newlands on Saturday.

As Marais picked over the bones of the loss, he said with an air of resignation: "We knew our set piece would come under pressure. Eben and Pieter-Steph showed their class. You can have thousands of plans, but if you can’t win a scrum and lineout you can’t win a game."

The Etzebeth-Du Toit combination has come with much hype. The pair of Springboks lived up to that pressure with commanding displays as the Stormers won their fourth consecutive Super Rugby match against the Bulls.

Etzebeth pressured the Bulls lineout mercilessly and was immense in the loose. Du Toit dominated the air on his own lineout ball and was also classy with the ball in hand.

The two, who have been touted as the logical heirs apparent to Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield for the past two years, are supreme athletes in giant bodies and both have great skill and aggression. It was Du Toit’s pop pass, from the scrumhalf position, to a flying Etzebeth that led to the game’s second try and ultimately finished off the match as a contest.

They were on the same wavelength from the off. The potential of this pairing for both Stormers and Bok rugby is frighteningly good.

Du Toit, 23, has been plagued by injuries for much of his career, while Etzebeth has also suffered his share of injuries at only 24. The fact that Etzebeth has played more Tests (44) than Super Rugby matches (33) underlines how much the Stormers have missed his presence at times.

If this duo can stay fit, combined with a wonderful front row, the Stormers have the tight five to become genuine title contenders.

Former Bok coach Heyneke Meyer believed that Etzebeth and Du Toit had the potential to play 100 Tests together for the Springboks, and while that is unlikely to happen, they could still have a long and fruitful career together.

Equally pleasing for the Stormers was the arrival of JD Schickerling to this level. The youngster, playing his first Super Rugby match after suffering a broken neck in an under-21 match in 2014, impressed with his eight minutes on the field.

His first action was to cop a neck-high tackle that led to a penalty for the Stormers. Flyhalf Rob du Preez kicked to touch and Schickerling called the lineout move that led to the Stormers’ third try from a rolling maul. Coach Robbie Fleck was impressed with all the locks.

"Eben and Pieter-Steph are good kids who work hard," Fleck said. "They are nice and physical, with lots of aggression. They performed really well, but credit must also go to JD Schickerling. He made an exceptional call to win that lineout and set up the maul, which led to our third (and bonus point) try."

The Stormers appear to have a good medical report. Only wing Kobus van Wyk (ankle) is in doubt for this weekend’s game against the Cheetahs. For the Bulls lock RG Snyman suffered a knee injury, while flanks Nick de Jager (shoulder) and Roelof Smit (knee) will also be assessed in the week.