Stormers revel in Shield glory, prepare for play-offs

The Stormers were thrilled with their exciting last gasp win over Scarlets on the weekend that saw them seal up second place on the log, the South African Shield and a home quarterfinal in the United Rugby Championship (URC).

They were made to work extremely hard for the result, with a try in the 80^th minute from centre Ruhan Nel settling the match, with both sides deadlocked at 21-all going into the final minute.

“I don’t think it was our best performance, we made a lot of mistakes like our maul defence and we kicked quite a few balls directly out and made poor decisions kick wise,” admitted Stormers coach John Dobson.

“So it was satisfying to win (the match) and winning the shield meant a lot to us, but we know we are going to have to be a lot better come play-off time.”

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The match in itself had a play-off vibe to it, as although the Stormers went in having already confirmed a place in the quarters and the Scarlets knew they were already out of the running, plenty was still on the line.

For the Stormers it was a home quarterfinal and the SA Shield, while Scarlets were also in the running for the Welsh Shield and a place in the European Rugby Champions Cup next season.

“It was a bit eerie when we arrived because we saw both the Welsh Shield and the South African Shield next to each other in the tunnel before the game and someone said things just got a bit real,” said Dobson.

“We haven’t played that sort of play-off in a while and I thought it was very much like that. I thought Scarlets were exceptional, we knew they were going to bring that running and counter game but they also brought a lot of physicality as well. It took a long time to get on top.”

Immensely proud

For Stormers captain Steven Kitshoff he was immensely proud of his charges for the effort tey have put in over the past few months, however admitted that this was just the first step on their way to the URC title.

“Winning the shield was the first step for us to cement ourselves and build on the season that we are currently having, especially after that home stretch and the confidence and momentum that we have built,” explained Kitshoff.

“The silverware is absolutely amazing and you could feel the buzz in the change room and on the field afterwards, you could feel how happy it made the guys because it was a lot of hard work and sacrifice that went into (achieving) this.

“But this is just the first step and going into the play-offs we know what play-off rugby is like, we had a bit of a glimpse (against Scarlets). So we need to build on this and I think there are some golden opportunities lying ahead of us.”