John Dobson says the DHL Stormers have to make the most of a run of home games in Cape Town, starting with the Vodacom URC clash against Edinburgh on Saturday.
The URC returns to action after a two-week break for the Six Nations, with the Stormers looking to kickstart their push for a playoff place with a good run of games at Cape Town stadium.
In the URC, only Munster and the Lions have beaten the Stormers in Cape Town, where Dobson’s side is undefeated this season.
The Stormers last played a URC game in front of their Faithful in December, but starting with Sean Everitt’s Edinburgh, have an excellent opportunity to make home advantage count.
“It’s special to be back at home, because we haven’t played there since the middle of January,” said Dobson.
“I think we are in for a really great autumn series of rugby. Coming up now, we have these two big URC games, then La Rochelle and hopefully another playoff after that. I am really, really pleased with that.”
Having left off with a defeat to the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria, the Stormers currently sit in ninth place on the URC table.
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STATE OF THE URC: Stormers locked on Edinburgh
However, just four points separate fourth-placed Edinburgh from ninth as the standings remain congested, giving the Stormers a chance to compensate for their winless tour earlier this season.
“We spoke about it with the leadership group this morning. We need to build some momentum. We aren’t where we want to be on the log. In both URC seasons, these home runs are really important,” Dobson said.
“The result at Loftus put us under a little bit of pressure in terms of the log. But we have been here twice before and we are here again.
“The tour would have given us a bit more comfort. We were fairly beaten at Loftus. It’s getting towards the sharp end where it gets defined now. The congestion is so much.
“With the exception of the Bulls, every one of those teams above us on the table still have to come to South Africa. It’s a tough place to come around this time of year.
“So the log is going to change quite a bit over the next four or five weeks. All we can do is make sure that we win these games at home.”
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