Bitter taste for Stormers despite bonus point win over Dragons

Stormers coach John Dobson admitted that his side’s poor finish to their United Rugby Championship (URC) match against the Dragons at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Saturday afternoon left a bitter taste in the mouth despite the bonus point win.

The Stormers put in a powerful first half effort to take a 28-7 lead into the break, and although they had a quiet second half, still led 34-12 going into the last 10 minutes, with the Dragons then striking with two late tries to make the end score a more respectable 34-26.

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Part of the reason for their struggles in the second half could be attributed to making a number of early changes, as the management had one eye firmly on their massive opening Champions Cup clash next weekend.

“I think we got enough out of these games to be comfortable. I am not worried. But that was a very poor second half, especially the last 15 minutes. It leaves a bitter taste,” said Dobson after the game.

“I suppose that shouldn’t take away from the sort of rugby that we played and the log points that we got. We probably should go and win these games 56-0, but that doesn’t really happen against the quality teams in the URC.

“I brought on Connor Evans and Lee-Marvin Mazibuko as quickly as I could, to protect players. Making those early changes, sometimes they bring on energy and sometimes it disrupts the flow of the team.

“We were thinking about next week. We couldn’t have Neethling Fouche injured and Manie’s groin was tightening up. ”

Home away from home

With the Cape Town Stadium being prepared for the South African leg of the World Sevens Series this coming weekend, the Stormers played in Gqeberha, and with a large crowd turning out to cheer them on it turned out to be a fantastic experience at their ‘home away from home.’

“This was an overwhelming success. To play in this stadium with this rugby culture with the support we had, it was a great success. It really does feel like home, the guys loved it,” said Dobson.

Having enjoyed a strong start to their title defence and sitting comfortably in third place on the log, the URC champs now turn their attention to the Champions Cup, with a tough match against Clermont in France first up this coming weekend.