Stormers’ grit and depth earn Dobson’s praise
REACTION: Stormers coach John Dobson hailed his team’s resilience as they secured an emphatic 26-17 win over Aviron Bayonnais at a buzzing Stade Jean-Dauger on Friday night.
The Capetonians, playing without a host of Springboks, had to dig deep with 14 men and went down to 13 at some point after Adre Smith received a red card and Leolin Zas a yellow.
The relatively inexperienced Stormers stood tall in one of Europe’s most intimidating arenas and, according to Dobson, showed just how much they’ve grown as a team.
“We’ve been building this group the whole time. You could name a Stormers XV that didn’t play tonight – Damian Willemse, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Seabelo Senatla, Ruhan Nel, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Jurie Matthee, Cobus Reinach, Stefan Ungerer, Oli Kebble, Vernon Matongo, Frans Malherbe, Zach Porthen, who is a Springbok, Ruben van Heerden, Deon Fourie, Louw Nel, Keke Morabe, the list goes on.
“It’s a really strong group, and nights like this show it,” the Stormers boss said, adding, “For a lot of these guys, this was massive.
“Tuks [Ntuthuko Mchunu], Neethling Fouche, Boepa [Lukhanyo Vokozela], Connor Evans, Salmaan Moerat, who is still coming back [from injury], Ruan Ackermann, Imad Khan, Johnny Roche, and Clinton Swart.
“They haven’t had much rugby. For them to play like that in a venue like this is amazing.
“The first half was great; tactically really good,” he said. “They started really fast and put us under pressure, but we defended very, very well.”
Dobson added that the discipline lapses were a concern in the second half but lauded his side for grinding out the win regardless.
“We got ourselves into trouble. That red card cost us, and our discipline was poor for the second week in a row.
“Sometimes, with ball in hand, we do things that put us under pressure. But the way we came off the canvas and won – that’s special.”
First try of the season was an absolute BEAUT by @THESTORMERS 🤩
Watch instant #InvestecChampionsCup highlights ➡️ https://t.co/KVpGqlKbZb pic.twitter.com/600rb9qu4o
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) December 5, 2025
The Stormers now head back home, and according to the coach, they can’t wait to play in front of their own fans after some tough outings on tour in the United Rugby Championship.
“These have been tough places we’ve played. Benetton hadn’t lost at home for a year, Bayonne have lost one game here in three years, Munster hardly ever lose at Thomond Park.
“All good experiences. But we can’t wait to play some Stormers rugby in front of our people next week.”
The Stormers host La Rochelle in Gqeberha next Saturday.
NEW IN THE APP: Official World Rugby Rankings hub! Compare team rankings side-by-side, with data going back 20 years.
Download the RugbyPass app on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android) now!
