The 'blueprint' that can take Stormers all the way
The Stormers won’t have much ‘downtime’ during their week off, as they prepare for a two-match road trip ahead of the United Rugby Championship play-offs.
They face Ulster and Cardiff in the next two rounds, but with the European (Champions Cup and Challenge Cup) semifinals this week, it affords the table-topping Cape Town side some valuable time to reflect.
The Stormers certainly have their destiny in their own hands, but according to Director of Rugby John Dobson, the task at hand is not an easy one.
In their two previous visits to Ravenhill, the Stormers were unable to defeat the ‘Red Hand of Ulster’, with a 5-35 loss in January 2023, their worst reversal.
“Last week’s defeat [against Connacht] was very expensive,” Dobson said, adding: “We have to get five points and on 4G pitches, tries are easier to come by because of the speed of the game.
“Once you have been to Thomond Park, Bayonne or Toulon, we don’t need to worry too much about the venue.
“That change in mindset [in this team] is amazing.
“We are going for it.
“We need to get 10 points from the next two [games] to stay top.
“The win over Glasgow showed we are a proper rugby team.”
(WATCH as Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson explains his team’s approach to the final two rounds of league action, ahead of the URC play-offs…..)
The Stormers boss, Dobson, admitted they had taken a ‘more direct’ approach in their (48-12) demolition of Glasgow Warriors, to knock the Scottish team off the top of the table.
“We had to,” he said of their approach to use ‘play-off rugby’ to bounce back from the emotional loss to Connacht a week earlier.
It is a blueprint for their two-match tour.
“If we can run direct, get on top of them [the opposition] and get behind them, then those two play-makers [Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian Willemse] can play a bit.”
Dobson said they are planning to do the bulk of their preparation in South Africa, before a ‘relatively late’ departure for Ireland.
He added that the 4G pitches in Belfast and Cardiff remain a challenge for South African players.
“We have to get two wins on surfaces that are hopefully not part of rugby’s future for too long,” a frank Stormers boss said.
“I don’t think anybody really enjoys them.
“If you speak to Glasgow, who are so used to 4G, that when they get on grass, the momentum doesn’t come as easily.
“We are going to have to adapt to that [4G surfaxes] and train on them a couple of times.
“However, we won’t overdo it, to avoid training ground injuries, such as ‘turf toe’ or ACL.”
Ulster, who lost 14-41 to Munster in an Irish derby at the weekend, is in a spot of bother in eighth place on the standings 47 points, just three ahead of an ambitious Connacht.
The Ulstermen host the Stormers and Glasgow Warriors in the last two rounds.
Before the arrival of the Stormers, they are at home to Exeter Chiefs in a Challenge Cup quarterfinal this coming weekend.
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