Home playoff slips out of Stormers' grasp with shock defeat to Ospreys
21/04/2024 09:35
Ospreys stunned the Stormers in Cape Town to underline their Vodacom United Rugby Championship playoff credentials by recording a 27-21 victory.
OSPREYS STUN STORMERS: RECAP
And they did it in bonus-point fashion, with wing Luke Morgan scoring two tries while hooker Sam Parry and flanker Harri Deaves also touched down.
Jack Walsh kicked two conversions and a penalty, keeping the Ospreys firmly in play-off contention after the most impressive performance by a Welsh region this season.
Centre Dan du Plessis and number eight Evan Roos crossed for the Stormers, with Manie Libbok converting both tries, and there was also a late penalty try.
The Stormers and Ospreys are now sit with the same number of log points (40), but the Cape side leapfrogs the Welsh outfit in the competition standings due to a superior points differential.
DOBBO SLAMS TEAM, APOLOGISES TO FANS
Stormers boss John Dobson bemoaned his team’s erratic display in front of the Cape faithful, but vowed they’ll be better in their game against Leinster at home next week.
"It was unquestionably our worst performance," Dobson said after the match. "We lost in the first URC to the Lions here, but we were utterly dominant in terms of possession in that game.
"We knew that Ospreys would fight. They have done some remarkable stuff this season with a small squad. Credit to them, we knew they would fight,” the Stormers leader explained.
"In terms of our performance, it was so loose. I am really sorry about that. I can only apologise. It was poor. We were loose as can be. It's a concern. It's frustrating. We coughed up 16 balls today.
While promising that the Stormers will recover, Dobson knows it won't be easy as Leinster will still be strong enough to turn the game into a battle.
"3pm at Ellis Park versus 7pm here, with their pride, it's going to be a much tighter game than it was at Ellis Park," Dobson said. "It will be a tougher game than we had tonight.
"We will be much better next week. But it is going to be a tougher game. Leinster have close to a 1000-cap second team. They are a proud team. So we are under real pressure now."
