John Dobson has hinted that the DHL Stormers could send a second-string side to Leicester for their Champions Cup opener, as he is keen to avoid “detouring” his star players.
The Stormers will travel to England’s East Midlands having ended a run of four successive losses by powering to a bonus-point victory over Italian side Zebre in the Vodacom URC.
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With attention shifting towards the Champions Cup, the Stormers face a short six-day turnaround between their clash with Leicester Tigers on Sunday and their first home game at Cape Town stadium against defending champions La Rochelle the following Saturday.
Dobson, having done his sums, said that the Stormers prioritised the match against La Rochelle, with a win against the French side also providing momentum going into the derbies against the Sharks and Bulls at the end of the month.
“Beating La Rochelle is non-negotiable,” Dobson said. “If we get a point away from home it will be good, but you just can’t afford to lose at home.
“La Rochelle is not only important for us but also for Cape Town. It will be our first real home game of this season at DHL Stadium, and the season already started in October.
“With a few exceptions, the team that played against Zebre is the one that will face La Rochelle,” Dobson added.
“Does it make any sense to detour players like Damian Willemse and Deon Fourie to play in the northern hemisphere and then have them come back for a game six days later?”
This means that the highly-anticipated duel between the two World Cup-winning Springbok flyhalves Manie Libbok and Handre Pollard might not happen on Sunday.
However, if the Stormers escape Leicester with a losing bonus point and win their home games against La Rochelle and Sale Sharks, they would stand an excellent chance of qualifying for the Champions Cup playoffs.
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Image