The DHL Stormers’ 10-match winning streak has not been stitched together under Saturday-night lights alone, it has been hammered into shape during the long, grinding hours of the training week.
That is the clear message from forwards coach Rito Hlungwani, who believes the Stormers’ unbeaten start to the season is rooted in relentless preparation rather than match-day magic.
Rito Hlungwani Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
Fresh off a 13-8 bruising Vodacom URC derby win over the Bulls in Cape Town, the Stormers are now sharpening their blades for Sunday’s Investec Champions Cup clash against Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop.
“It was a very tough game, lots of sore bodies,” Hlungwani said on Monday.
“But business carries on as usual. We’ve got a massive game waiting for us in London and we want to make sure we’re ready, and we will be ready.”
The numbers underline their momentum. The Stormers sit top of the URC log with eight wins from eight, having also conquered Bayonne away before overpowering La Rochelle in Gqeberha in their opening Champions Cup fixtures. It places them within touching distance of their previous benchmark of 14 consecutive victories.
For Hlungwani, however, the real battleground is Monday to Wednesday where cohesion is built brick by brick.
“We spend Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays training against each other, and that’s actually more time than an 80-minute game,” he explained.
He contrasted the grind of training with the reality of match-day action.
“[A game] is usually like 36 minutes ball in play.”
The Stormers’ forward dominance, especially their maul, has been a visible weapon, but Hlungwani insists it is rehearsed relentlessly behind closed doors.
“This weekend we had 18 lineouts, and 12 of those were mauls,” he said.
“At training we’ll do 40 or 50 lineouts and more than 20 mauls. The cohesion is built there.
“What people see on a Saturday is just the result.”
Equally crucial is a squad-wide culture of accountability, where selection offers no exemptions.
“Whether you played or not, everyone watches the game, everyone reviews it,” Hlungwani said.
“In meetings, anyone can be asked a question. Everyone is engaged in the process. The guys who didn’t play are often the first to speak about what we need to fix. It’s a collective mindset.”
That collective edge has been felt keenly in the tight exchanges up front. Prop Oli Kebble, who could earn his 50th Stormers cap this weekend, believes the pack’s steel has been forged through internal competition.
Oli Kebble Photo: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images
“Training sessions are sometimes harder than games,” Kebble said. “We challenge each other all week, whoever’s playing and whoever’s not. That’s bred the scrum culture we take into matches.”
With Harlequins waiting, Kebble expects another heavyweight collision in London — and welcomes it.
“They’ve got good front-row depth, but so do we,” he said. “To compete in the URC and Champions Cup, you need two frontline packs. It doesn’t matter who wears the jersey. We’re going there to take them on.”
For the Stormers, the message is clear: the winning streak is not a spark, but rather it’s a slow-burning fire, fed daily on the training field, long before the first whistle blows.
