John Dobson © Gallo Pictures
When DHL Stormers coach John Dobson seemed again on the 80 minutes his crew delivered in opposition to the Dragons of their penultimate Vodacom URC league match, it was the standout performances of some relative newcomers that caught his focus.
In a recreation e book marked by the emotional crowd farewell to the franchise’s most capped participant and former Dragons stalwart Brok Harris, and celebrated for being Damian Willemse’s a hundredth cap, the play of openside flank Paul de Villiers and the efficiency of a rejigged scrum was influential in a 48-12 win that propelled the Stormers to fifth place on the log with one recreation to play.
7⃣ Tries. 5⃣ Factors. See you again right here on Friday for extra. #STOvDRA #iamastormer @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/ArZw8eGAZq
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) May 10, 2025
Former Durban North schoolboy Vernon Matongo was making his first begin for the Stormers after a few cameos off the bench at loosehead, and he and Sazi Sandi had been a part of a scrum that pressured a number of scrum penalties. De Villiers was everywhere in the area, each as a torment to the Dragons on the breakdown and up in help as a provider, and usually continued his upward progress at this degree of the sport.
However whereas he reckons Matongo is “going to be large” and that De Villiers is a particular participant, Dobson stated he couldn’t take credit score for the hit both participant has made of their introduction to URC rugby with the Stormers.
“I might like to take credit score for it, however I can’t, as the reality is that we’ve been helped by the accidents in that I’ve been taught a priceless lesson,” stated Dobson.
“Had Deon (Fourie) not been injured I might most likely have carried on enjoying him and we’d not have gotten to see Paul get his alternative. I all the time knew Paul was a star for the long run and really succesful, however I wasn’t going to again him simply but. Now that he has acquired to play he has proven he’s greater than prepared and greater than ok.
“The best way gamers reminiscent of Paul and Vernon have progressed is a giant plus that we’re getting out of those previous few weeks of the season. The depth has been grown, however as I say, typically that has been by chance slightly than essentially by design.”
PLEASED WITH INTENSITY
The Stormers’ win continued their good kind and upward development on the efficiency graph as they went into a brief turnaround earlier than Friday night time’s remaining recreation in opposition to Cardiff with their seven-try rout of the Dragons in situations that even the visiting coach admitted was a leveller within the recreation.
Dobson stated he was happy with the bodily depth of the efficiency and reckoned the crew had happy his demand for no drop from the Benetton recreation. However he additionally didn’t actually know whether or not to snort or cry once they had been advised after the sport that Benetton, who his crew thrashed 56-5 two weeks in the past, had crushed Glasgow Warriors in Treviso.
That outcome means the Sharks are prone to finish third on the log, as they host Scarlets on Saturday whereas Glasgow, who’re only one level forward of the fourth positioned Sharks going into the ultimate spherical, end off with a dangerous journey to Dublin, the place they misplaced 52-0 to Leinster in a Champions Cup final month.
THEY WERE HOPING TO PLAY SHARKS
The Stormers, rightly believing {that a} two-hour flight throughout the nation is healthier than the long-haul flight to Europe relating to the quarterfinal spherical for which they’ve now certified, had been desperately hoping to play the Sharks, that means a visit up the coast to Durban. That was on the playing cards as for a number of weeks, it appeared the Sharks had been destined to complete fourth, with fourth internet hosting fifth within the first recreation of the Finals Collection.
Nonetheless, the Stormers know that engineering, as Dobson put it, the scenario to allow them to nonetheless go to Durban, by dropping to Cardiff and coming sixth, can be the flawed option to go about issues and naturally, they owe the DHL Stadium a very good efficiency as they are saying farewell to their followers till subsequent season. They’re additionally enjoying on Friday, and might be overtaken by multiple crew in the event that they misplaced, and would look silly if the Sharks then misplaced to the Scarlets and nonetheless completed fourth.
“We just about thought that we had been going to go to Durban the entire time,” stated Dobson.
“That appears more and more unlikely, particularly once you see the crew Leinster put out tonight. They’re going to go full energy subsequent week [against Glasgow], we count on them to win that recreation, which might imply we go to Scotstoun.”
Why the Stormers would favor Durban has extra to do than simply the journey – the Scotstoun is just not a stadium the Stormers have a very good file at.
“Final yr, Glasgow had been at their full pomp, and I do know we misplaced that quarterfinal by 10-plus on the finish, however we had been in it till fairly late within the recreation. So if we’ve to go that approach, we are going to go that approach,” stated Dobson.
“If issues go flawed subsequent Friday in opposition to Cardiff, we’ll must go to Kings Park. I wouldn’t complain if we needed to go to Pretoria to face the Bulls both. However we might by no means jerry-rig a recreation; we play on a Friday night time, so we’ve to wrap our heads round going to Scotstoun.
“We’ve acquired scar tissue there, however we’ve additionally acquired some extent to show. There’s not the worry that it might’ve been,” he added in reference to the current Glasgow outcomes, which embrace a house defeat to a different SA crew, the Bulls.
The Stormers are set to call their crew on Tuesday this week.
