Dobbo praises Moerat's leadership following Bulls defeat
SPOTLIGHT: Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson had high praise for his captain Salmaan Moerat on Friday ahead of the Capetonians’ Round 11 United Rugby Championship clash against the Lions on Saturday.
The Stormers suffered a first-ever home loss to the Bulls in the URC since the expansion of the competition in 2021 (from the Pro 14) after initially having a chokehold on the men from Pretoria for seven consecutive games before they broke the drought last season.
Stormers loose forward Ben-Jason Dixon’s 78th minute try appeared to be the match-winning score but replacement flyhalf Clayton Blommetjies’ blunder with his conversion attempt saw the hosts going down in an agonising one-point defeat.
Dobson admitted that the defeat was tough on the team but that they almost immediately put the result behind them and shifted their focus to their upcoming clash with the Lions – much to the credit of their captain Salmaan Moerat.
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“It [Bulls result] was very tough for us as a group,” the Stormers Director of Rugby said.
“What’s been remarkable this week is how the guys got back to task quickly.
“Traditionally it should be a thing [the loss to the Bulls] that takes the stuffing out of you.
“First home defeat to the Bulls in the URC in the last minute, the big crowd etc…
“The way Salmaan [Moerat] has taken the team and gotten them back on task [is remarkable].
“We were into this week’s plan on Monday already which was brilliant – credit to the leadership.
“Wednesday felt like we were on top of our plans for the Lions.
“It didn’t feel like one of those defeats where we were sort of scratching – it was quite simple.
“We had to scrum better and kicked the kick over and we probably would’ve won.
“The way the group moved on this week has been one of the outstanding features.
“Salmaan has done a brilliant job this week with the group.
“I’ve got no concerns of a hangover of last week,” Dobson concluded.
