Dobson hails Stormers debutants after Connacht win
REACTION: Stormers coach John Dobson hailed a resilient performance from his side after they overcame a disrupted build-up to claim a bonus-point 29-15 victory over Connacht in Galway, with debutants Vernon Paulo and Ezekiel Ngobeni making an immediate impact.
The two newcomers both crossed for tries in the closing stages to help the Stormers secure a five-point haul, with Dobson delighted to see the pair make their mark on their first appearances for the Cape franchise.
“The nice romantic story is Vernon and Ezekiel making their debuts and scoring tries,” Dobson said.
The Stormers had made life difficult for themselves after racing into a 10-0 lead before conceding two tries shortly before half-time.
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Dobson admitted his side could have made the result more comfortable had they converted their early opportunities.
“I am very proud of the performance. I think we probably made it a bit more difficult than it needed to be,” he said.
“I think if we had converted our chances when we were 10-0 ahead a few minutes before half-time rather than conceding those two tries, we could have sealed it and turned with the wind behind them.”
The Stormers were forced into late changes before kick-off, with Evan Roos and Marcel Theunissen both ruled out through injury, adding to the disruption during the build-up.
Despite those setbacks, Dobson was pleased with the way his side responded and believed they deserved their victory.
“But I think given the disruptions of this week, it was an extraordinary performance. I think process-wise, we deserved to win it,” he said.
The Stormers created several opportunities during the opening half but were unable to make the most of them, while Dobson felt there were still areas of their attack that needed improvement.
“Our plan was good; there were some mistakes,” he said.
“Something around the attack in the second half, where we were playing off nine a lot and maybe we didn’t stretch them enough defensively, and maybe the first half was too much. But you can argue we deserved to be the dominant team.”
The Stormers ultimately pulled away in the closing stages, with Paulo and Ngobeni providing the perfect finishing touch to a difficult week.
While the Stormers left Galway with maximum points, Dobson was fully aware of the significance of winning at a venue where Connacht have proved difficult opponents for visiting sides.
“I think to get five points in a place like this – Connacht will tip a lot of teams on this ground. It’s a tough place to play, so to get that win was very satisfying,” he said.
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