Stormers set sights on must-win Bulls clash: ‘We’ve got plans to make’

The Stormers will be gearing up for a do-or-die United Rugby Championship (URC) match against the Bulls in just under two weeks’ time, and it is essentially a must win game for the Cape side in their pursuit of a place in the competition’s top eight.

Their disappointing 30-23 defeat to the Lions at Ellis Park over the past weekend has left them in 10^th place on the URC log, and with a huge game at Loftus coming up, followed by an overseas tour and them being notoriously poor travellers, they could be staring down the barrel.

Having missed out on a win over the Bulls in Cape Town a week previously, going down 33-32, it has left them in an unenviable position, and Director of Rugby John Dobson is well aware of the challenge that awaits them.

“We had this match (against the Lions), and in two weeks we are in Pretoria, and then we’ve got matches in Llanelli (Scarlets) and Belfast (Ulster). We had to win two out of these four because we’ve got a nice home run and we think that could get us enough (points),” explained Dobson.

“Unfortunately, not winning today (Saturday against the Lions) leaves us needing two wins out of the next three. Our European record is poor and Loftus is tough. We pretty much have to win in Pretoria to stay alive. That’s easier said than done.

Lions match

Looking back to the Lions match Dobson admitted that their inaccuracy, after dominating possession and territory, their poor conversion rate from 22m entries, and being dominated at the breakdown, were key factors in their loss.

“I think we were turned over 12 times by half-time. We came out after the break and there were another two turnovers,” said Dobson.

“I think we were 100 percent in the lineouts today and 70 percent possession, possibly 63 percent territory, which is a pretty emphatic performance. The Lions only made like 141 tackles and we did all the carrying and all the playing but were just too loose with the ball and the Lions punished us for it.

“We were just too loose with the ball against a team that’s brilliant at transitions and turnovers. And those tries in the first half have got the Lions’ stamp all over it and we knew about it and didn’t stop it.”

The Stormers now have a bye weekend coming up, so will be able to freshen up a bit before they return to the Highveld, however Dobson admits they will still be training, and also won’t be receiving any reinforcements from their long injury list.

“Next week is a slightly down week and we will train. But we can’t go off, we don’t deserve to go off. We’ve got plans to make for the Bulls,” said Dobson.

“The reality is that it will be the same team that played last week (against the Bulls) and the same team that played today (against the Lions) because none of our big names will be back.”