Rugby: Chiefs face big challenge in Stormers

Tanerau Latimer. Photo / Christine Cornege

Tempting as it may be to brand this match the Spoilers versus the Spoilt, the Chiefs won't be more than an irritant during the run-in to the Super 15 playoffs.

Helping themselves while hurting New Zealand's third-placed team last week was the first step in what Ian Foster hopes will be an improbable late march to the top six.

"I don't want to get drawn too much on [whether we can make the playoffs]," he said.

"We know it's a week-in, week-out proposition for us. Last week was a must-win for us. To have any opportunity we knew we needed to take points off the Highlanders.

"But only once we put a couple of wins together can we start lifting our eyes to that horizon."

The Stormers represent a huge challenge for the Chiefs, not only with their physical brand of footy, but mentally. Last year the South Africans rolled into Hamilton and spanked an injury-ravaged Chiefs 49-15.

While Foster rates this incarnation of the Stormers as equal to last year's, he believes this is a better Chiefs outfit.

It would have been better still had they not had to deal with an injury crisis at openside. Having named Tanerau Latimer at No 7, the Chiefs coaching staff then watched him fall down at training with what looked to be a bad ankle strain.

A decision will be made on his availability this morning, but Foster said Sam Cane would likely come into the starting side if Latimer fails to recover.

The Stormers have been spoilt by a draw that has seen them stay within the cosy confines of South Africa for the first three months of the tournament.

The Chiefs are the first obstacle on a four-game jaunt that sees them in Auckland next week, followed by the Brumbies and Rebels.

Given their demolition job of the Chiefs last year, with some justification Foster feels this is a game the Stormers will target, though the Australian teams look like soft touches.

The Stormers' effectiveness will be determined, to a large extent, by how well they recover from the Crusaders' match. Coach Allister Coetzee has made several changes to that team. Goalkicker Peter Grant returns at first five-eighths and Ricky Januarie gets a start at halfback. Bryan Habana comes on to the wing, with Gio Aplon switching flanks.

Big Brok Harris replaces even bigger CJ van der Linde, who hasn't recovered from a groin injury from the loss to the Crusaders.

CHIEFS v STORMERS
Hamilton, 7.35pm tomorrow

CHIEFS
* Mils Muliaina (c)
* Lelia Masaga
* Richard Kahui
* Dwayne Sweeney
* Sitiveni Sivivatu
* Stephen Donald
* Brendon Leonard
* Fritz Lee
* Tanerau Latimer*
* Liam Messam
* Romana Graham
* Craig Clarke
* Ben Afeaki
* Hika Elliot
* Toby Smith
Reserves: Aled de Malmanche, Sona Taumalolo, Isaac Ross, Sam Cane, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Tim Nanai-Williams, Jackson Willison. (*in doubt, ankle injury)

STORMERS
* Conrad Jantjes
* Gio Aplon
* Jaque Fourie
* Jean de Villiers
* Bryan Habana
* Peter Grant
* Ricky Januarie
* Duane Vermeulen
* Francois Louw
* Schalk Burger (c)
* Andries Bekker
* Rynhardt Elstadt
* Brok Harris
* Deon Fourie
* Wicus Blaauw
Reserves: Tiaan Liebenberg, Steven Kitshoff, De Kock Steenkamp, Anton Van Zyl, Dewaldt Duvenage, Lionel Cronje, Juan De Jongh.