The Stormers have a big few months ahead of them. Picture: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
The Stormers head into a vital end of season run-in from next weekend as they look to do battle on two fronts, in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup over the coming three months.
The inaugural URC champs and two-time finalists find themselves in an unfamiliar position of sitting outside the top eight of the competition as they head into the season’s back end and will be under pressure to go on a good run of wins if they want to secure their goal of a home playoff.
URC: Edinburgh (h), Ulster (h), Ospreys (h), Leinster (h), Dragons (a), Connacht (a), Lions (h)
Champions Cup: La Rochelle (h) in last 16
The Stormers are currently ninth on the URC log, but it is extremely congested and they are just four points off Scottish side Edinburgh in fourth place.
That makes their home encounter against them next Saturday very important, as if they can pick up a full house of points, while not allowing Edinburgh any, they will move ahead of them on the log, although where they will sit will depend on other games on the weekend.
A good win over Edinburgh will also be a strong statement from the Stormers after they were convincingly outplayed 40-22 by their biggest local rivals the Bulls in their previous URC match.
They will also be eager to build some momentum ahead of their clash against Irish giants Ulster the following weekend, who are currently fifth on the log and also battling it out for a place in the URC top four.
After their two important URC clashes the Stormers then take on double defending Champions Cup champs La Rochelle in a massive last 16 match at the Cape Town Stadium.
It will be the second meeting between the two sides in Cape Town this season, after the Stormers produced a sublime comeback at the death to pip the French giants in their pool game back in December.
On that occasion both teams were struggling after a tough start to their respective seasons, with them both in the bottom halves of their competitions and needing a win, which the Stormers just managed to clinch in the end.
La Rochelle have since been in terrific form and are now in the top three of the French Top 14, and still have a chance of progressing in the Champions Cup, especially as they know how to win in high pressure games as they showed in coming from behind in both previous finals to triumph.
Stormers coach John Dobson admitted after the last match that a game like that is the closest thing you can get to Test rugby at franchise level, and another incredible battle should be in store for fans.
After the La Rochelle clash the Stormers face Welsh side Ospreys and Irish powerhouse Leinster at home, and then go on a two-game tour to take on the Dragons in Wales and onto Ireland to play Connacht, before returning home to close out the URC pool stage against the Lions in Cape Town.
They will also hope that they will still be in action in the Champions Cup and try go as far as they can in Europe’s Premier franchise tournament.
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