The Stormers usually struggle to win matches in which they start slowly. A good example of this is the 25-20 defeat suffered to the Sharks in Round 14 of the round-robin phase of the competition.

The Sharks led 25-6 early in the second half and despite two late tries by Gio Aplon in that match, the Stormers suffered only their second loss of the competition.

The Cape Town outfit do, however, seldom lose when they start a match well. The Stormers have built up a strong lead on 10 occasions in matches this year and won every one of those games.

And that is what Coetzee expects from his charges in the crunch game at Newlands on Saturday.

"We have to stick to the recipe of starting well, but we have to keep it up over 80 minutes," he told Die Burger.

"That's the challenge in a semi-final. You have to play towards your strengths and not get stuck in your own half.

"The execution should also be clinical. It can cost you dearly if you don't play towards your strengths."