Dobson: 'I have done a poor job'

SPOTLIGHT: Stormers head coach John Dobson said he is disappointed with his role in Saturday’s Champions Cup quarterfinal defeat to Exeter Chiefs.

Dobson’s team were outscored by six tries to three on their way to a 17-42 defeat at Sandy Park.

The visitors looked sluggish from the start and they struggled to get a foothold in the game against a determined Chiefs side.

“I haven’t seen them [Exeter] play that well in a while. I thought they were superb,” said Dobson.

“I thought were on the ropes from minute one.

“We were really flat but credit to Exeter for the way they blew us away.

“I think we showed a lot of fight. I think in the second half we were opening up very nicely.

“We were pretty unlucky with one or two things. I think maybe if that obstruction try had stood we would have had an outside sniff, but the reality is it was too late.

“In that first half, every single thing went against us.

“Everything seemed to go wrong, but they deserve credit for the intensity they came out with.

“That’s pretty much it. We were blown away.”

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Dobson believes his team got their tactics wrong against the Premiership giants.

“I am disappointed with myself. To kick contestables with the wind was poor,” Dobson explained.

“There were big dead-ball areas here. We had to kick distance in that first half and try and take the fizz out of their attack.

“We hung around in what we call ‘middle earth’ between those two 10s [10-metre lines].

“We gave away two penalties for poor contestables where we didn’t get out of the 10 metres. We didn’t contest our contestables.

“Whether I didn’t communicate that plan properly or whatever it was, I think we had to kick deep down the field and let Exeter kick it out to give us line-outs.

“We hung around kicking contestables in middle earth, which was tactically really poor.

“Exeter were superb in that period, but I think we fed into that and that is where I got to put my hand up and I think I have done a poor job.

Travel factor

There has been a lot of talk about the travel factor ahead of Saturday’s game, but Dobson didn’t want to use that as an excuse.

“What worried me a little bit in that first period was that we weren’t folding on defence like we should have been.

“We were a bit flat. I thought we handled the cards we were dealt in terms of travel as best as we could.

“I thought we did everything we could to get energised.

“We flew in three or four different parties and the last group got in on Wednesday evening.

“But I just think Exeter were so sublime. That was a performance from a few years ago when they were European champions.

“I can’t really extrapolate that onto the travel.

“We want to be in this competition. It is two out of the last three weeks where we really kicked poorly in windy conditions and that is something we have to get right.

“That has more influence on the outcome than the travel.”

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