John Dobson says he was most pleased to see signs of the DHL Stormers’ flashy style return in the bonus-point victory against the Sale Sharks on Saturday. DYLAN JACK reports.
The Stormers scored four tries to claim a full house of points in the third-round Champions Cup clash in Cape Town.
Winger Leolin Zas grabbed a brace, showcasing that the Stormers are starting to find their groove on attack, particularly in his second try, which started as a counter-attack from the 22.
“What delighted me the most was that we started to see the Stormers of the last two years, in terms of how we played and looked for space with ball in hand,” Dobson said after the game.
“It reminded me of the glory days,” Dobson laughed. “We have missed a little bit of that this season.
“But it is very tricky, against a team that slows you down like that. I admire [Sale’s] fight, so this is not judgemental, but they didn’t want this game to open up.
“Every kick was a contestable, so it was a difficult game for us to open up. So for us to still see good signs, it’s important.”
In each half, the Stormers went 14 points ahead, but couldn’t extend their lead beyond that and put the game to bed, which Dobson said is a particular work-on.
“What does worry me – we also saw it in the Sharks and Bulls games – we had opportunities to go two-plus scores ahead, to finish the game. It was certainly the case today, on three or four occasions. But that didn’t happen.
“Sitting in the coaches box, you think this game could have been over and we wouldn’t have to go through the agony.
“But then, when the game gets to 73 or 74 minutes, the lead actually starts to look quite imperious. The way we closed out these games, in the last three or four minutes, was very good. The fact that we aren’t burying teams when we have them on the ropes is a bit frustrating.”
Dobson confirmed that the Stormers will be taking a full-strength squad to Paris for their final-round clash against Stade Francais, as they look to secure a place in the round of 16.
“Our goal was to try and get 5-0 today [in terms of log points]. That’s probably why the mood is a little bit irritable. Manie’s kick fell just short and could have broken them.
“I think if we got 5-0 we probably would have been through. I still think the odds are definitely in our favour, so getting five points was important.
“We are going to do a good job in Paris next week. If we get out of this group of death, it will be a great achievement by the Stormers.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images