Dobson: Stormers' game is not from NASA

SUPER RUGBY PRE-SEASON: They may be World Cup winners and superstars, but the Stormers’ Springboks have their feet firmly planted on the ground.

Stormers coach John Dobson praised the likes of Bok skipper Siyamthanda Kolisi, Bongi Mbonambi and Steven Kitshoff for the maturity they have shown since returning to the franchise.

Speaking to the media in the build-up to their Super Sunday encounter with the Sharks in Soweto, Dobson said the ‘buy-in’ and ‘enthusiasm’ of the returning World Cup players have been extraordinary.

“They have completely bought into the team vision,” Dobson said, adding: “I really can’t praise them highly enough.”

Dobson added they will lean heavily on the power of those Boks, as they look to claim a maiden Super Rugby title – in what is their final season at Newlands, before migrating to the Cape Town stadium.

Given how many of those World Cup-winning forwards they have, forward dominance is at a premium for the Stormers.

“It doesn’t mean we are going to play just a forward dominance game, but we have to use the pack we have to generate momentum for the amazingly exiting backs we have.

“It is not something from NASA,” the coach said.

“Siya [Kolisi] has amazing skills. We would be stupid to deprive him of that and make him chase kicks or hit 40 breakdowns.

“However, we also can’t spurn the power and the personnel we have up front.

“It is going to be a hybrid game.

“The teams we think are the most amazing, have always scored from a scrum penalty – when they tapped and gone [quickly], or that dramatic cross-kick. It comes from the turnover you have won or the extra space you created through going forward. Or it is the turnover through our defensive linespeed and physicality.

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Kolisi echoed the coach’s sentiments, saying they have bought into Dobson’s ‘hybrid’ game plan.

“The most important part is going to be that we bring all that [World Cup] energy, that positive vibe and winning culture into this team,” Kolisi said.

He admitted that expectations will be massive, given the number of Springboks in the Stormers squad.

“What I learnt last year is having a coach that has a plan and us as players buy into that.

“We must ensure that when we step onto the field, everybody buy into that.

“So far coach Dobbo [John Dobson] has been doing that well. He gives us input and allows us time to have our say.

“The most important thing is buying into his plan.”

Kolisi added that South Africa’s successes in New Zealand in recent year – a win in Wellington in 2018 and a draw at the same venue last year – will have positively impact on their Super Rugby campaign.

He suggested that the players are over the ‘mental’ hurdle of winning in New Zealand.

“You want to go there and say you’re going to win all the games,” the Stormers captain said, adding: “I think that should be the attitude.

“Us winning that game in Wellington [2018] gave us that mentality.

“When we go on tour, we want to win every game. We don’t want to aim for this one or that one.

“In most of the teams I’ve played for in the past, you already lose before you get off the plane because you’re choosing which games you’re going to win.

“I have played against New Zealand teams many times and they have always pitched up and I don’t think much is going to change there.

“I think what will motivate the guys to play is that some have left so there are open spaces, and everyone will want to perform.”

@king365ed
@rugby365com

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