Stormers planning to move big La Rochelle around the park

The Stormers will host back-to-back European champions La Rochelle for the second time in the Champions Cup this season when they square off at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (4pm kick-off).

On their first date in the pool stages, the Stormers emerged victorious, winning 21-20. However, heading into their second clash, the Stormers know it will be a whole different ball game because their opponents are a prolific team when it comes to playing knockout games.

Stormers director of rugby John Dobson has been using December’s encounter to prepare for this weekend’s match. One thing that Dobson was not happy about last time around was his team’s implementation of the tactics; they threw them out the window and got pulled into La Rochelle’s preferred physical game.

Playing their own game

So on Saturday, Dobson wants his players to play the running rugby the Stormers are known for and avoid getting into a physical contact battle.

“We have to make sure this game is played at a tempo. That wasn’t the case when we played them in December,” Dobson said this week.

“So we want to move the ball around. We are not scared of them physically; we just happen to think that’s the way to play against these guys; down here on a hard field is to play them fast. We hope that the referee keeps the tempo of the game up if there are not too many guys lying down.

“If it has a high tempo and a high ball in play it probably suits our plan. So our idea is to play typical Stormers rugby out there and see if they’ll handle it.”

Dixon over Dayimani

Should the game turn into a physical affair, the Stormers have a contingency plan with Joseph Dweba returning at hooker while the loose trio of Deon Fourie, Ben-Jason Dixon and Evan Roos are expected to match the physicality of La Rochelle. The decision to start Dixon ahead of Hacjivah Dayimani alludes to that.

“We can’t be naïve about it because of the size of the pack we are playing against,” said the Stormers mentor.

“Hopefully if we move it (the ball) and the game opens up then someone like a Hacjivah can do a magic job when he comes onto the field. What we love about BJ (Dixon) is his physicality, intensity and ability to work for 80 minutes.”

A second win over La Rochelle this season is something that Dobson would love to see.

“We are not favourites for the game but if you manage to beat La Rochelle twice in one season, you are one of the better teams around,” he said.