Rugby: Breaking of Stormers' defence worries Lam

Blues coach Pat Lam. Photo / Richard Robinson.

Breaking down the Stormers' defensive wall is a problem every side faces, especially in Cape Town.

It is an issue which has concentrated the minds of the Blues' strategists this week as they search for successive wins in South Africa to balance their sloppy domestic start.

"Every defence has a way through it," Blues coach Pat Lam suggested without offering any further ideas.

Of course Lam is right. The Stormers leaked a couple of tries against the Hurricanes with an intercept from Beauden Barrett and the other a great offload from the same talented five-eighths.

But those freakish incisions hint at the difficulty of the task.

The Blues have a breadth of attacking venom, although some of that firepower has been dented by the suspended absence of Rene Ranger.

With eight of the squad, including six internationals, now unavailable, the Blues need to find greater cohesion to get into tomorrow's match at Newlands Rugby Stadium.

They escaped against the Bulls because of Gareth Anscombe's uncanny 29 points in his first start and the lethargy of the hosts.

The Blues had some fortune and Lam acknowledged his side had not played with enough unity. He said they had worked hard this week to rectify those imbalances.

An unknown is how the Stormers will respond after their bye last round. They are still without injured skipper Schalk Burger but have some strong pedigree and Lam figured they were a better mix than last year.

It was an advantage to have the same players and same coaching staff to continue their progress.

Stormers coach Allister Coetzee wants his pack to undermine the Blues' confidence and impact.

"You have to be direct first, you have to win that gain-line battle," he said. "We've seen a few sides in this competition trying to attack before they've laid the platform, and what's happened is that their attack is very lateral and ineffective.

"The Blues have a strong defence and really look to pressure you at the set piece and breakdowns, so you have to match them physically.

"They tried to disrupt us last year in these areas, so we will have to be wary. We have to make sure our physicality and execution are of a high standard if we are going to build continuity."

Lineout and breakdown accuracy will be high on the Blues must-sort list. The lineout has been ragged all season with captain Keven Mealamu unable to find consistent connections with a range of targets.

Those have thinned with the injury absence of Jerome Kaino and Anthony Boric, so there will be even more heat on Ali Williams, new pick Filo Paulo and Chris Lowrey to come up with some solutions.

Senior loosie Daniel Braid was hammered for his breakdown work by referee Steve Walsh last week and this time faces the scrutiny of Glen Jackson's appraisal.

With Anscombe, Joe Pietersen or Peter Grant in wait to kick penalty offences, discipline and understanding Jackson's rulings will be another key element in this match.

The Blues gained some needed assurance from their win against the Bulls.

"It was a real boost for us," Lam said.

They had now spent a week building on that progress in search of an unblemished trip to the Republic.