Captain Ruhan Nel says the Stormers have learnt lessons from last season’s losses to Connacht and Leinster, the favourites and obstacle to URC title glory for John Dobson’s men.
The Capetonians begin their 2026-27 campaign with trips to Connacht and Edinburgh, while they also close out their league schedule overseas, with clashes at Leinster and the Dragons.
Nel told the media on Thursday that the Stormers have unfinished business against Connacht after the Irish side beat them during last season’s URC league phase.
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Galway’s Sportsground is the venue for next Friday’s rematch, and the veteran centre said victory in a hostile environment would provide a strong start to the season.
“The Leinster loss is still fresh in our minds. There are a couple of games that are actually still fresh in our minds, but I think obviously the big one was the Leinster loss for us,” he said.
“The lessons learned in that game, actually just seeing how we could operate in that hostile environment, going against a full Irish team … hopefully we can get the start again like we had last season.
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“[Galway] is a very tough place to play,” Nel added. “That Connacht game that we lost last year, [at Cape Town Stadium] was fresh in our minds.
“So we’re definitely looking to settle the score on their field.”
Dobson expects the race for the top eight to be more demanding than in previous seasons, with 14 or 15 teams capable of competing strongly.
He believes winning the URC will require beating Leinster, and could ultimately determine where the trophy goes, the team will first have to prove it can defeat the defending champions.
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“You have to beat Leinster. They’re a massive factor. Glasgow away, in our case, are a massive factor.
“Leinster is always going to be the team people wonder where they are at the end of the season. Somebody has to beat them to win the URC. If you log on to a sporting bet website now, I’m sure Leinster will be the favourites by some distance.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
The post Ruhan: We have a score to settle with Irish appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Captain Ruhan Nel says the Stormers have learnt lessons from last season’s losses to Connacht and Leinster, the favourites and obstacle to URC title glory for John Dobson’s men.
The post Ruhan: We have a score to settle with Irish appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
