John Dobson rates the Stormers' season
The Stormers can best be portrayed as the ‘almost’ team.
Despite a 10-match winning streak at the start of the season, which included wins over the Bulls, Stade Rochelais, Bayonne (away), Munster (away) and Leinster (a 35-0 whitewash), they stumbled in the latter half of the season and slipped from first place to third on the United Rugby Championship standings.
However, their championship run was halted in the semifinals, where they suffered a heartbreaking 11-20 defeat to the defending champions, Leinster, in Dublin.
Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson said he now has a good idea of where his team is at.
Despite failing to get that all-important home ground advantage in the semifinal, he knows his team can go ‘toe-to-toe’ with the top teams in Europe.
The Stormers boss said they were desperate to host the Final in Cape Town, but the Connacht loss at home and the reverse against Cardiff away were cruel blows to that dream.
He felt they now have a solid foundation to build on for next season.
“It [this season] is a great yardstick for us to measure where we are,” he told @JanDKrugby, adding: “There are aspects that we need to improve on for next season.”
However, another truncated off-season, the Currie Cup starts on July 18, and the URC gets underway on Friday, September 25, leaving very little room for ‘fixing’ problems.
* (Listen as Stormers Director of Rugby chats to @JanDKrugby about his team’s just completed URC season, what aspects must improve and some of his key players….)
“There are things to improve around our attack fluency and a few other things.”
Dobson also had plenty of plaudits for key players like Damian Willemse and Ruhan Nel.
The Stormers boss described Willemse as an ‘amazing’ human being.
“He will go down as one of the ‘great’ Stormers of all time,” Dobson said of the double World Cup-winning utility back.
“Given what he has done for this campaign, [even playing on the wing], if it was not for Damian, we would not have gone as far as we did.”
“Ruhan Nel is a really classy captain,” Dobson said, adding: “The way he behaves and keeps the team calm.
“He [Nel] and Dan [du Plessis] were superb on defence.”
@JanDKrugby
@rugby365com
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