Stormers coach John Dobson has backed his side to overcome Cardiff in Saturday’s Vodacom URC quarter-final at Cape Town Stadium.
The Stormers head into the knockout clash under pressure after a disappointing defeat to Cardiff in the final round of league action – a result Dobson says left his side emotionally drained and searching for answers.
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But despite the setback, the veteran coach remains confident the Stormers can respond on home soil.
“It’s probably the easiest of the quarter-finals,” Dobson told CapeTalk.
“If we won in Cardiff, we would have played the Lions and I think we’d be a lot more angst-ridden than we are about Cardiff.
“Sounds arrogant and presumptuous, but I think if I was to choose a quarter-finalist – it’s the first time they’ve ever been in a quarter-final – I would probably choose them.
“That’s our job and I’m pretty confident that we’ll do it.”
Dobson revealed the defeat in Cardiff did more than hurt the Stormers’ log position, with the result also denting the squad’s belief ahead of the business end of the season.
“We’re just in a curious space of losing a bit of confidence,” he admitted.
“That last game was really expensive emotionally.
“It just felt like if you can’t beat Cardiff away, what are your chances of beating Leinster away in a grand final or something?”
The Stormers coach also defended his side’s attacking structure amid criticism from supporters, insisting the numbers show the Cape side are creating opportunities, but failing to finish them.
“We are second for the most entries in the whole URC, which is a good stat,” said Dobson.
“It shows our attack is working because people criticise Dawie [Snyman] and myself about the attack.
“But we are ninth at 1.7 points per entry, which is appalling. We’re trying new strike moves, but we aren’t getting it right.”
Dobson identified defence, tackle dominance and territorial kicking as key focus areas ahead of Saturday’s showdown, pointing to the Stormers’ poor kicking game in Cardiff as a major concern.
“We were minus-250 in Cardiff, so we have to get that right,” he said.
Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
The post Dobbo: Cardiff easiest of the quarter-finals appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Stormers coach John Dobson has backed his side to overcome Cardiff in Saturday’s Vodacom URC quarter-final at Cape Town Stadium.
The post Dobbo: Cardiff easiest of the quarter-finals appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
