The final haul is here

Flat-footed, sluggish, slow at the breakdowns and poor intensity – all these factors pointed to only one problem: The Stormers were tired after a long and burdensome Super 14 campaign in their match against the Sharks. They sensed the importance of the moment, but their bodies did not respond. And they now face a do-or-die match at home against the Bulls.

With one week to go, five teams are locked in battle for three playoff spots. The Stormers (39), the Waratahs (38), Brumbies (37), Hurricanes (37) and Crusaders (36) are huddled together and will be separated within 18 hours of intense battle.

On Friday, the Crusaders will host the Brumbies at Christchurch, and the Waratahs will wait for the Hurricanes in their Sydney den.

Whatever the outcome of the match, one can safely assume the Stormers will have to win at Newlands to avoid sure elimination. The chances are slim that both the above-mentioned games will end in a draw.

Many fingers will point to Sireli Naqelevuki when the defeat of the Stormers is being discussed and milled over. His embarrassing blunder and the gift of a five-pointer to the Sharks put the Stormers under immense pressure.

It was a case of déjà vu because it was his high tackle in the 77th minute of the semifinal against the Bulls in the Currie Cup which ensured victory for the Bulls in October 2009.

And was it not Naqelevuki who lost the ball against Boland on the try line when a fourth try was required for the bonus point that would have secured Western Province a place in the semifinals in 2008?

It is ill justice for Naqelevuki, who enjoyed an excellent campaign in 2010, only to spoil a superb season through a moment of indecision and madness.

But unfortunately, it is not all Naqelevuki’s fault. There are a few fingers pointing at the over-eager (and unwise) coach, Allister Coetzee.

His management of his Super 14 squad leaves much to be desired.

Let us explain: Ken Quarrie, manager of research and injury prevention at the New Zealand Rugby Union, says that pragmatic squad management considerably enhances one's chances of success in any major rugby competition.

He said that a recent study of professional players in Britain reported that around 23% of players were unavailable for matches at any given time due to injury.

If around 20% of players are unavailable because of injury at any one time, and one has a squad of 22 players, this means one would expect to have around 17 or 18 players fit and available.

For three or perhaps even four weeks within a typical club competition structure, it probably does not matter hugely whether one manages player workload to any extent.

Whether they can continue to perform near their personal 'peak' level if one continues to play them week in, week out for eight to 10 weeks is another question altogether, said Quarrie.

Point taken, Dr Quarrie. If one has 30 Stormers available, and 22 of them take the field for 13 straight weeks, and one does not use the other eight, one will eventually either lose players through injury, or their form will suffer.

Coetzee has used Andries Bekker, Schalk Burger, Brok Harris and most of his other starting 15 – except Gio Aplon – almost every week for the entire campaign.

Expecting them to be Clarke Kent's every time they take off their spectacles and don their uniform is ridiculous.

But that is exactly what Coetzee has done. His squad management has contributed to the mess in which the Stormers find themselves.

He was part of Jake White's support staff during 2007, a year in which the then Springbok coach steadfastly refused to use his incumbent Springboks in the Tri-Nations campaign. The Boks used the services of Professor Tim Noakes as consultant, so Coetzee is intimately acquainted with the science involved in recuperation and rest.

The Boks won the World Cup, so the proof of the pudding, Allister, was in the results.

In a huge twist of irony, the Stormers may benefit on Saturday because the Bulls are thinking of using their second-best team for the match in order to rest their starting 15.

It may not guarantee the Stormers success, for these Bulls would be fresh and fired up.

Incidentally, Ruan Pienaar produced arguably one of the best flyhalf performances of the Super 14 campaign on Saturday, and was immense in the 20-14 win against the Stormers.

The Bulls escaped with a win against the Crusaders, but their conservative approach and the needless kicking gave the Christchurch-based team so much possession that they thrived at Loftus.

If we had to select a Springbok team right now from the best available players in South Africa and abroad for the Test against Wales, it would be: 15. Zane Kirchner, 14. Bjorn Basson, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Jean de Villiers, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Morné Steyn, 9. Fourie du Preez, 8. Pierre Spies, 7. Juan Smith, 6. Schalk Burger, 5. Victor Matfield, 4. Andries Bekker, 3. BJ Botha, 2. John Smit (captain), 1. Tendai Mtawarira. Substitute bench: Frans Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Wynand Olivier, Gurthro Steenkamp, Tiaan Liebenberg, Bakkies Botha, Francois Louw.