Dobson's message to keyboard warriors: 'I don’t understand the world we live in'
The Stormers will be bolstered by the return of two key locks in the next few weeks.
Captain Salmaan Moerat and bruising second row teammate Ruben van Heerden are both set to return from injury.
Despite delivering this healthy dose of good news, Director of Rugby John Dobson was also in a combative mood.
In what was, at times, a very sombre media briefing, Dobson said the team will ‘honour’ the late Chippie Solomon in a fitting manner in the next few weeks.
The Western Cape was shocked and saddened by the news of the passing of Stormers team manager Christopher ‘Chippie’ Solomon over the weekend.
He served as Stormers team manager from 2004 until he passed this past Saturday morning, taking charge of over 350 matches in that time and providing an unmistakable presence on the touchline through the highs and lows of 21 seasons.
However, once he moved on to Saturday’s United Rugby Championship Round 15 face-off with Connacht, Dobson had another go at the ‘keyboard warriors’ who feel the need to attack Springboks like Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Salmaan Moerat.
Dobson made it clear that Feinberg-Mngomezulu remains the ‘primary’ No.10, even though he played off the bench in the Champions Cup Round of 16 loss to Toulon.
* (WATCH as Stormers Director of Rugby takes aim at the ‘keyboard warriors’ who continue to criticise his players…..)
“I just don’t understand the world we live in now,” he said.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu could be moved to No.12 or No.15 in the next few games, but flyhalf is still where he adds most value.
Dobson added that the young playmaker was ‘taken out of the limelight’ to protect him from the many keyboard warriors who feel the need to spout their bile on a “generational player”.
“We have a duty of care towards Sacha,” Dobson said, adding that he had a chat with France-bound Springbok lock Salmaan Moerat, who also came in for some undeserved hostile commentary.
The Stormers boss said: “Salmaan has given everything to this team.
“People are saying: ‘Good riddance.’.
“I just don’t begin to understand it. The criticism is just not justified.”
Turning to his ‘limited’ second row resources, Dobson said it has been a “tough period” for the Stormers regarding injuries.
“Ruben [van Heerden] is available this week,” he said of the Montpellier-bound second row forward, who underwent surgery on his thumb.
“Salmaan will return, at the latest, for the [URC] quarterfinals,” the Stormers boss said of Moerat’s ‘turf toe’ injury, adding: “Maybe [he’ll be back] a week or two earlier.
“Hopefully, come play-offs, we’ll be at full strength in the second row.
“If we bring JD Schickerling and Adré Smith off the bench, it will be pretty hard for teams to compete with us.
@JanDKrugby
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