Dobson’s smart management puts Stormers in pole
OPINION: John Dobson’s decision to use 40 players over the first eight matches of the season will benefit the Stormers in the lead up to the Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship play-offs.
At the start of the 2025/26 season, nobody predicted that the Stormers would be leading their Champions Cup pool as well as the United Rugby Championship table by mid-December.
Yet here we are.
Dobson’s charges have won six-consecutive URC fixtures, and recently finished the first block of Champions Cup pool matches with nine out of a possible 10 log points.
It’s important to note that the Stormers’ current eight-game winning streak includes five victories overseas – and a total of six outside of Cape Town, given they beat La Rochelle 42-21 in the “home” game staged in Gqeberha this past Saturday.
Somehow, the Stormers have come through the most challenging part of the URC and Champions Cup schedule with a perfect set of results.
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As the game stats confirm, they are playing a more balanced brand of rugby, and converting more of their opportunities into tries, points and wins.
That they’ve won nothing yet in terms of titles is besides the point.
The platform has been set for a serious crack at a top-two finish to the URC league phase, and they are currently on track to host at least one round of the Champions Cup play-offs.
Of the Stormers’ 14 regular season matches that remain, 11 will be staged in South Africa – and as many as eight in Cape Town.
Given their home form in recent seasons, one would expect the Stormers to capitalise on that advantage in the months to come.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Stormers’ current winning streak is the fact that they’ve maintained their momentum regardless of the availability of the Boks and other senior players.
Much has been made of Rassie Erasmus’ rotation policy at national level, and how the coach used 50 players over the course of the 2025 Test season.
The Stormers have played only eight games to date, yet Dobson has already used 40 players.
Stars like Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cobus Reinach have made an impression, but have only started three matches and one game, respectively.
Dobson has endeavoured to mix and match his squad regulars, while giving youngsters and second-, third- and even fourth-choice players opportunities.
Recently contracted players like utility back Clinton Swart (Pumas) and Dylan Maart (Griquas) have slotted straight in, with the former scoring 16 points in a famous win in Bayonne, and the latter dotting down twice in the recent victory over La Rochelle.
When you break down the selections by position, you gain a greater appreciation for how the workload has been juggled and how certain players have been managed with the long season in mind.
Three different players have started at fullback, four on the wing, three at outside centre, four at inside centre, three at flyhalf, four at scrumhalf, two at No.8, two at blindside flank, two at openside, three at No.5, three at No.4, three at tighthead prop, two at hooker, and three at loosehead.
There’s been plenty of rotation, positional swapping, and movement between the starting XV and bench.
The Stormers Bomb Squad has been at the heart of their success this season, and even here, Dobson has changed things up on a near-weekly basis.
While the six-two split between forwards and backs has been favoured for eight consecutive weeks, the selectors have opted for an extra loose forward on five occasions, and an extra lock on three.
The decision to favour Wandisile Simelane or Swart as the utility back each week has also changed the bench dynamic.
Dobson has used 40 players over the past eight weeks, and has introduced at least one new player to the match 23 in all bar the clash against La Rochelle.
Injuries and the availability of the Boks have certainly influenced selections, but the Stormers boss deserves credit for how he has juggled his resources with both the short-and long-term in mind.
In terms of matches, and especially game minutes, the Stormers are still relatively fresh at this stage of the season.
Paul de Villiers, BJ Dixon and Evan Roos have been selected in a starting back-row combination five times, and Leolin Zas has played every match – but elsewhere, the move to manage and rotate has been constant.
While there are always pros and cons to rotation, the results suggest that the Stormers have got the balance right.
Furthermore, they have every reason to persist with the strategy through the toughest part of the season – some clubs will play 10 matches in a row between 29 November and 30 January – and ensure that the bulk of their squad is fresh for the business end of both the Champions Cup and URC.
Dobson will demand that the team retains its focus throughout this period. And yet, it won’t be a train smash if they lose a game or two over the next two months while rotating their squad.
The same cannot be said for other South African teams.
The Lions (seventh), Bulls (eighth) and Sharks (14th) are all in danger of missing the URC play-offs, and their hopes of advancing to the next stage of the European tournaments hangs by a thread.
Around this time last year, the Stormers had lost six of their first eight games.
They never recovered from their shocking start to the Champions Cup, while they were forced to play catch-up in the final stages of the URC in order to qualify for the quarterfinals.
It didn’t come as much of a surprise when they were forced to travel for the play-offs, or when they lost 18-36 to Glasgow Warriors in Scotland.
This season, there is a concrete reason for optimism.
They’ve ticked every box over the past eight games, and have played themselves into a strong position in both tournaments.
Thanks to Dobson’s management strategy, they should be relatively fresh at the back-end of the season, their younger players will have enjoyed a fair amount of exposure.
They haven’t won anything yet, but after a strong start to the season, they are clearly South African rugby’s best hope for a title.
