Following his side’s 26-20 United Rugby Championship (URC) victory over the Bulls in Cape Town on Saturday, Stormers coach John Dobson has heaped praise on his troops.
The Bulls had been favoured to break a six-game losing streak against their Cape foes, after a strong start to the competition. But Jake White’s Bulls ultimately went down again to the Stormers, even though the hosts had some key players missing due to injury.
Evan Roos, Warrick Gelant and Herschel Jantjies were all reduced to interested spectators through injury.
With the win, the Stormers are up to eighth on the log and the recent results brought a smile to Dobson’s face.
Three compelling performances
“We have sort of punched our way through our darkest hour in Cardiff and put together three really compelling performances, showing that we are a really class team of international standard,” said Dobson.
“We said [on Friday] that the thing about this team is, [the injuries] didn’t bother us. I mean that in the best way.
“What gives me real excitement is that now, we can throw in a Dan du Plessis and Warrick Gelant into the mix. We will have a few more back in January.”
The Stormers have 22 points after eight matches, while the Bulls are four points ahead in fourth position.
“The really important thing for us was in terms of the URC table. If the Bulls had won, we would have struggled to claw back. We want to be in contention for home playoffs and you can’t afford to lose a home game, much like in Europe.
“To beat the Bulls in a URC derby was very, very important in terms of the table, as will next week [against the Sharks]. If we are to compete with the Bulls for a home playoff or the SA Shield, these games are eight- or 10-point swings.”
IOL Sport