Disappointed Dobson: 'We didn’t deserve to win'
NEWS: The Stormers played like a team coming off a month-long layoff – rusty under the high ball, loose in their handling, and unclear in their decision-making.
On occasion, they went searching for miracle plays when the situation called for basics, trying risky offloads rather than working through phases with patience and control.
Their biggest opportunity came with a two-man advantage at 15 versus 13, but poor decision-making and a lack of care at the breakdown cost them dearly. Held up over the line three times, they failed to score a single point in the final 30 minutes despite their numerical edge.
To the Lions’ credit, their defence in the closing stages was both brave and organised, and they were clinical on transition. The Stormers, meanwhile, repeatedly self-destructed in their own half and lacked precision when genuine try-scoring chances presented themselves.
Usually so fluid on attack, the Cape side looked disjointed. Leolin Zas and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu were isolated and peppered with contestable kicks, and the handling errors steadily mounted as the aerial pressure took its toll.
“Very disappointing result for us. We corrected a few things from Durban, but we simply made too many mistakes. In the first half, we turned over nine balls in contact, and it continued,” a dejected coach John Dobson stated afterward.
Those errors proved decisive. The Lions struck twice before halftime and, although the Stormers showed glimpses of improvement after the break, they never truly wrestled control of the match.
“Despite the start, I thought we had enough time, especially when they were down to 13, to turn it around. But we showed no composure.
“In the final minutes, two passes drifted into touch when we were chasing a bonus point. And we were held up three times over the line.”
Dobson conceded there were marginal calls that could be debated, but accepted responsibility.
“The truth is, we didn’t deserve to win,” he admitted.
While he noted some encouraging signs in the scrum, he acknowledged that the maul defence and discipline require urgent improvement.
“Three defeats in a row are not good enough. There are signs we can be a strong team again, but we’re hurting right now.
“We apologise to our supporters. We’re very disappointed not to have taken points from that game.”
