Stormers' critical path to Euro success
SPOTLIGHT: As the maxim goes: ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail.’
With the Stormers at a critical juncture in their season, at the start of their European campaign, Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson revealed that his ‘planning’ has been meticulous.
With the brutal lessons of last season’s disappointing Round of 16 departure from the Champions Cup, Dobson has devised an unyielding blueprint – a ‘critical four-week path’ in October.
Their Euro journey kicks off with an electrifying showdown against the formidable Bristol Bears from the English Premiership, setting the stage for a dramatic opening round.
For Dobson, the concept of squad rotation has evolved beyond simple management.
It is now an essential strategy in this high-stakes environment.
As the team gears up for a new campaign, the directive from leadership is clear and unwavering: victory in this inaugural match is non-negotiable.
In the fiercely competitive landscape of the Champions Cup, their home ground must serve as an impenetrable fortress, and the quest for maximum points is vital in securing a prized home play-off position.
The ‘critical path’ involves the management of their Springboks, who still have a gruelling four-week Nations Championship campaign coming up in November.
“We will have them up to the game against Ulster,” he said about the Champions Cup outing against Bristol Bears, along with URC encounters with Scarlets and the Irish province, Ulster, all in Cape Town.
He added that he offered all his Boks one game off, but almost to a man they turned it down.
After the November break, when the Boks will be heavily involved in four weeks of Nations Championship fixtures, the South African franchises return to URC and European action.
Dobson admitted that it will be a tall order for the Boks, after a gruelling month of international action, to back up when the franchises restart on December 5.
The Sharks host the Stormers at Kings Park, in Durban, before travelling to France to face defending Champions Cup champions Union Bordeaux Bègles and return to Cape Town for a URC derby against the Lions.
“I can’t see, even if they are available, that it is fair for them to play against the Sharks, after four weeks in Europe and the emotion of the Nations Championship,” the Stormers boss said, adding: “We’ll have to give them off that Sharks week.”
Then the Boks are available, barring injury, through till February, when the Stormers face Bordeaux Bègles, Lions, Bulls (URC in Cape Town), Gloucester (Champions Cup, Kingsholm Stadium), Racing 92 (Champions Cup, Cape Town), Cardiff (URC, Cape Town) and Zebre (URC, Cape Town).
During the Six Nations window, there will be a couple of domestic derbies they will miss.
“After the Sharks it will be ‘full metal jacket’ through to the end of January,” Dobson said.
“We have a thing we call the ‘critical path’, documenting the next four games,” the Stormers’ Director of Rugby said, hinting that the 13-17 away loss to Edinburgh would have been the weakest team they will field this season.
“The main group will all get game time in the next four weeks,” he added.
@JanDKrugby
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