Unbeaten but unconvinced: Dobson on Stormers escape
REACTION: The Stormers extended their unbeaten run in the United Rugby Championship with a hard-fought 34-27 victory over the Lions at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, but Director of Rugby John Dobson admitted the performance was far from convincing.
Despite eventually securing a bonus-point win, the Cape Town-based side were second best for large spells, particularly in a dominant first half from the visitors. The Lions headed into the break with a deserved 17-10 lead after controlling territory and possession and applying sustained physical pressure.
The Johannesburg outfit made their intentions clear from the outset, with Ruan Venter crossing the whitewash inside the opening minute, silencing the more than 28 000 spectators in Cape Town.
However, the momentum swung in the second half.
Dobson emptied his bench early in the second stanza, unleashing his replacement forwards in the 47th minute – a move that added bite to the collisions and turned the tide in the physical exchanges.
The Capetonians eventually outscored the Lions by four tries to three, but Dobson was candid in his post-match assessment.
“Physically, they were on top of us for the first large portion of that game,” Dobson told reporters.
“We knew they’d come like that, and we had to weather the storm, but I never expected them to get so many yards so easily on attack.
“I don’t think we carried very well at them either.”
Dobson conceded the hosts failed to fully capitalise on their second-half dominance.
“It wasn’t our best effort,” he stated.
“The overriding disappointment for me was how we didn’t close that game out. I knew we’d have to weather the storm. I knew that we’d get away from them in the second half a little bit, but then we really made it very difficult at the end.
“They were unlucky not to be more in the lead come half-time. Probably unlucky not to get at least a draw in that game.”
The result leaves the Stormers as the only unbeaten side in the URC and six points clear at the top of the standings heading into the festive break – a position Dobson admitted he would not have anticipated.
“If you said on September 20th or 25th we’d be six points clear at the top of the URC knock on Christmas, I would have cut off a couple of digits.
“So I must be careful about being too critical because they’re doing a good job.”
Dobson and his troops will enjoy a week off before their return for the big North-South derby against the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium on January 3.
“This break could make or break us. However, there’s no question we’ll be up for the Bulls.
“We know it’s such a special game. We lost here this time last year.
“We’ve got this week off, and then we’ve got a full week up to the Bulls. Hopefully [Damian Willemse] is back. Sascha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] is back. It’s going to be a big occasion.
“It’s a bit of a scenario to sell out, so we’re looking forward to that very much.
“It’s going to be a classic. We’ll be better.”
