VIDEO: Dobson's honest assessment of 'imperious' Stormers
12/01/2024 02:11 AM
SPOTLIGHT: Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson said his team gave him plenty of hope despite their 15-21 defeat to the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
The Capetonians thought they had snatched victory at the death when Manie Libbok scored a try. However, an eagle-eyed TMO spotted a knock-on from the flyhalf in the build-up to that score.
After 17 minutes, the visitors were 0-14 down, but they showed signs of dominance, especially in the scrums.
For Dobson, wasted opportunities throughout the 80 minutes were the big difference.
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"We created so many try-scoring opportunities," said Dobson. "I think the Sharks also probably bottled one or two."
"We were wasteful. I can name six [opportunities] off the top of my head and that was probably the difference.
"We will look back and think we won the game right at the end there, but three minutes before that we lost it because of the errors we made up until that point.
"I thought we were imperious in the second half. At 65 minutes, I thought we've got this completely under control.
"What happened at the end there was a bonus if truth be told."
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The Stormers were also forced into an early change when flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (concussion) had to leave the field at the 30-minute mark.
"It was a helluva blow. I still want to go find out a bit more about it, but we've prepped all these plays for three weeks and then he goes off and then we actually messed up three starting plays.
"It was a blow and then once you lose the six-two [on the bench], we ended up with Herschel [Jantjies] on the wing for 10 or 12 minutes and he almost scores the winner.
"Sacha was a big disruption for us - he is concussed."
Next up for the Stormers are Champions Cup clashes against Toulon (Gqeberha) and Harlequins (London) before another two URC derbies against the Lions and Sharks (both in Cape Town).
"Today [Saturday] gave me hope and I know we are sitting here after a defeat," Dobson added.
"I know Eben [Etzebeth] and Bongi [Mbonambi] didn't play but we were without five Boks - [Steven] Kitshoff, [Frans] Malherbe, [Deon] Fourie, [Evan] Roos and [Damian] Willemse.
"To come here like that and fight like we did gives me hope about the team. We saw a lot of our DNA out there.
"I'm confident that we can put together a proper run now. I don't think many teams in the world can sit comfortably without five Springboks.
"It's probably a good place for us to launch from now. The reality is just the sheer pressure of having to accumulate log points [in the URC]
"Toulon next week is a game we are going to go and enjoy. I don't think there is pressure.
"The pressure now is really in URC. It doesn't mean we bail on the Champions Cup; it means we attack it and go and enjoy it."
@rugby365com
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