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Stormers head coach John Dobson has raised concerns over his team’s “tough” away schedule across the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup in January.
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The Stormers emphatically beat the Lions 40-9 at Cape Town Stadium on New Year’s Eve to close out the 2022 calendar year with an unbeaten home record.
The Stormers were close to perfect on attack as they scored a shopping six tries; while they were also brilliant defensively, conceding just one try against the hard-running Lions. The result saw the Stormers consolidate their position in second spot on the URC table.
DOBSON CAUTIONS STORMERS:
Commenting on his side’s dominant display, Dobson said he was happy with the performance but that he would prefer the team to put their celebrations on hold and rather shift their focus on their upcoming URC and Champions Cup fixtures away in Europe.
“The guys scored some great tries … maybe once or twice we were a bit loose with the ball, but it’s New Year’s Eve and you’re in the lead and you want to entertain the crowd,” Dobson said.
“Our breakdown probably wasn’t the same standard from the last couple weeks but generally, it was a pretty good performance.
“I’m just pleased we scored some tries and built on those from last week [against the Vodacom Bulls] – it would’ve been horrible to come here and win 9-6 in a drudge.
“To be where we are… gone over a year [without defeat in Cape Town], these players are so resilient and keep coming; we can be accused of making mistakes or of getting things wrong, but never of not turning up or playing with pride and passion.”
“In terms of the URC we’ve got Glasgow and Ulster away and if we want to get that home playoff we’re going to have to win one of those, and that’s tough. And in the Champions Cup, we’ve got London Irish away, and that’s tough,” Dobson explained about the Stormers’ upcoming fixtures.
“The Springboks like Steven [Kitshoff] won’t be playing at Ulster, which makes next weekend’s game hell of important.
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“It’s going to be a tough January, but I’ll prefer the guys get a bit of a treat tonight and then pick things up again.”
“We’ve got really thin at lock and if we have any more issues there we might have to look at bolstering our resources,” Dobson said. “If Marvin were to fail his test it’ll be a challenge for us.”
The Stormers depart for Glasgow via Johannesburg, Doha and London on Monday evening.