Stormers stars get a reality check after Dobson's sobering comments
REACTION: Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson believes the performance that his side dished up against Stade Rochelais won’t be good enough to knock over South African opposition in the coming weeks.
The Stormers ran in six tries to see off a youthful La Rochelle side 42-21 in the Champions Cup on Saturday.
It was the Capetonians’ second win in a row in the competition, and it put them top of Pool Three ahead of four-time winners Leinster, who beat Leicester 23-15 on Friday.
It’s an eighth consecutive win in all competitions for Dobson’s side, but there are still areas of concern that need to be addressed in the coming weeks.
The Stormers lacked composure on attack with ball in hand on a number of occasions. They were guilty of trying to force certain situations with their skilful players.
The hosts were fast out of the blocks, racking up two tries through wings Dylan Maart and Leolin Zas in the opening seven minutes before things started to get a bit messy.
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“I thought we were so energised at the start and so good, and it just felt like we got seduced into it being too easy,” said Dobson.
“To produce the intensity that we started that game with was really good for us. However, it was a learning experience, and we had to manage that game better at the 15-to-20-minute mark.”
Young flank Paul de Villiers produced a man-of-the-match performance in that outing.
He was a menace at the breakdowns, and Dobson admitted he was one of the players who got them out of some sticky situations.
“It took some moments from Paul or Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] to bail us out. That was a little bit frustrating that we got ourselves in that position,” Dobson explained.
“Two years ago, we were just getting cleaned out [at the breakdowns], and now we have Paul, who is like a limpet and his decision-making is so good.
“He is very special.”
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The Stormers will now face the Lions in a United Rugby Championship derby in Cape Town next weekend, and Dobson knows they could get punished if that sloppiness creeps in again.
“We have to get the stuff right and it is no use just talking about it in the week.
“We know that performance [in Gqeberha] doesn’t beat a fired-up Lions team in Cape Town or a Bulls team [on January 3].
The Lions rested several key players for the upcoming match, and Dobson knows that the intensity will be a big factor.
“We had a good look at them as coaches,” said the Stormers boss.
“We know that Henco [van Wyk] gets the best contact metres, we know about Quan’s [Horn] linebreaks, and we know about their efficacy at the breakdown.
They made their intentions clear that they want to rest and prepare for this game. I promise we won’t be lacking intensity.”
@rugby365com
