Stormers reach ‘goal’ with home URC semi against Connacht

The Stormers have reached one of their goals for the season by hosting a United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final against Irish side Connacht at the Cape Town Stadium this coming Saturday.

The competition defending champs will however want to go all the way and retain their crown, but they will be happy to host at least one more game at home after it initially looked like they would have to travel for their semi-final clash.

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After losing to Munster in their penultimate pool stage match they allowed Ulster to sneak in front of them into second on the log, and with them having been heavy favourites to progress to the semis the Stormers thought they would be heading to Belfast.

However, Connacht produced a stunning upset over their local rivals, opening the door for a South African semi-final, which the Stormers confirmed with a strong win over the Bulls.

‘Home semi’

“This was the goal from the start of the season but we let it slip against Munster. We felt we would have been in trouble if Ulster got the result (quarterfinal win),” admitted Stormers attack coach Dawie Snyman.

“Connacht had a great performance winning that game and all of a sudden the pressure was on us to beat the Bulls and make sure we got a home semi.

“So it is great to be at home for this match. The crowd and support was phenomenal over this (past) weekend, so hopefully we can get the same (against Connacht).”

Strong start

The Stormers started this season’s URC campaign with a strong 38-15 win over Connacht in Stellenbosch, but they will be meeting a very different and more confident side that has enjoyed a strong second half of the season and should be more of a challenge this time round.

“We are two different sides from what started the season. Every team evolves throughout the season. I know they had a tough start to the season which put them under pressure, but they have turned it around and had a strong back end to the season, explained Snyman.

“They are a tough team. We also realised when we played them last year at the Sportsground. It’s a quality side, they are really well coached, have some experienced players and are also in the Irish setup.

“So it is definitely a team that we can’t take lightly. Even in the game we played against them at the start of the season it was very tough until Bundee Aki got that red card. They can beat any team on their day, as they proved by beating Ulster away. So we will have to be at our best.”

The other semi-final sees tournament favourites Leinster host Munster, and if the team from Limerick can pull off an upset the Stormers will be able to host the final, should they beat Connacht.