diff --git a/system/common.xml b/system/common.xml
index 7c771b7fdc..e7fccb2f5a 100644
--- a/system/common.xml
+++ b/system/common.xml
@@ -65,46 +65,29 @@
  			<equals arg1="${code}" arg2="128"/>			
 			<then>
 				<echo message="git rev-parse origin/${stf_branch}"/>
-				<exec executable="git" failonerror="false" dir="${SYSTEMTEST_ROOT}/stf" outputproperty="stf_sha2" resultproperty="code2">
+				<exec executable="git" failonerror="true" dir="${SYSTEMTEST_ROOT}/stf" outputproperty="stf_sha2" resultproperty="code2">
 					<arg value="rev-parse"/>
 					<arg value="origin/${stf_branch}"/>
 				</exec>
-				<if>
-					<equals arg1="${code2}" arg2="128"/>
-					<then>
-						<echo message="This branch does not exist!"/>
-					</then>
-				</if>
-				<if>
-					<isset property="stf_sha2"/>
-					<then>
-						<echo message="git checkout -q -f ${stf_sha2} "/>
-						<exec executable="git" failonerror="true" dir="${SYSTEMTEST_ROOT}/stf" >
-							<arg value="checkout"/>
-							<arg value="-q"/>
-							<arg value="-f"/>				
-							<arg value="${stf_sha2}"/>
-						</exec>
-					</then>
-				</if>
+				<property property="stf_sha" value="${stf_sha2}"/>
+			</then>	
+		</if>
+		<if>
+			<not>
+				<isset property="stf_sha"/>
+			</not>
+			<then>
+				<property property="stf_sha" value="${stf_sha1}"/>
 			</then>
-			<else>
-				<if>
-					<isset property="stf_sha1"/>
-					<then>
-						<echo message="git checkout -q -f ${stf_sha1} "/>
-						<exec executable="git" failonerror="true" dir="${SYSTEMTEST_ROOT}/stf" >
-							<arg value="checkout"/>
-							<arg value="-q"/>
-							<arg value="-f"/>				
-							<arg value="${stf_sha1}"/>
-						</exec>
-					</then>
-				</if>
-			</else>
 		</if>
-		
-		
+		<echo message="git checkout -q -f ${stf_sha} "/>
+		<exec executable="git" failonerror="true" dir="${SYSTEMTEST_ROOT}/stf" >
+			<arg value="checkout"/>
+			<arg value="-q"/>
+			<arg value="-f"/>				
+			<arg value="${stf_sha}"/>
+		</exec>
+	
 
 
 		<if>