Dobson proud of Stormers effort but says they must ‘keep perspective’

The only South African team to win in the Champions Cup on Saturday, the Stormers thrashed Sale Sharks 40–0 in an entirely one-sided match.

Stormers director of rugby John Dobson would not be offended if you said the margin of the win was unexpected.

It could also be argued that the scoreline wasn’t a true reflection of the game. The Stormers conceded more penalties than Sale and made as many mistakes, but the English visitors didn’t capitalise on the chances they had like the Stormers did.

Even so, while the Stormers were on a high after running in six tries thanks to brilliant backline play, Dobson cautioned that there is much left to do in the tournament, and they still have to balance it with United Rugby Championship (URC) commitments.

Stormers boss says they mustn’t get carried away

Dobson said the Stormers have to keep perspective that they have one win out of three games in the Champions Cup and must still win away against Racing 92 next weekend to earn a spot in the round of 16.

Then they have to play against URC leaders Leinster in Dublin the following week. This will be one of the most difficult fixtures of the season for the Stormers.

“Our day job is very much the URC. So I don’t want the euphoria or thinking this is our season-crowning,” Dobson told media after the Sale game.

“We have to go for next week, there is not one game we won’t,” he said, though rotation will have to be done to keep players ready for the URC.

Squad may see some changes in next few weeks

“We will have to look at guys who have gone through the whole summer series with high loads [and make changes accordingly]. But there is no doubt we will be going for it in France next week. There is no question.”

He said the few changes he made for the Sale game (including a new-look midfield pairing in Wandisle Simelane and rookie Jonathan Roche) had paid off.

The team has depth and the Stormers can be proud of how they have collectively made it work despite injuries.

“We pride ourselves that in every competition we have been in we have made the play-offs. We will be absolutely determined.”

He hinted at the return of players such as Seabelo Senatla, Damian Willemse, Leolin Zas, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ruhan Nel and Dan du Plessis.