John Dobson was pleased with how the Stormers dealt with two player dismissals and a sub-par first half to skin the Bristol Bears for a big Investec Champions Cup opening win.
Jonathan Roche and Leolin Zas scored a brace apiece in a seven-try 49-12 victory at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
Leading 21-7 at half-time, the hosts survived a 20-minute red card for hooker JJ Kotzé before the break and the sin-binning of Zas after the restart to kick off their campaign with the bonus-point W.
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“We were a little bit flat in the first half, energy-wise, and thought things were just going to come easily,” the head coach shared post-match. “Our scrum was clearly dominant early on.
“Then obviously once the cards [came], you get into game management, and that is taking the match exactly where we don’t want to go.
“We couldn’t tire them with the pressure of the scrum or maul. We had to spend 25, 26 minutes in game management. Took a lot of fun out of the game.
“So we credit Paul [de Villiers] and the leadership, and then we’ve got it going.”
Dobson also praised Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s seven from his eight attempts at goal for a 14-point conversion haul.
“That’s a magic kicking performance. It was one of the question marks at the start of the season, and when you do that, it’s brilliant,” the boss added.
“It’s good for Sacha’s confidence. It makes a big difference on the scoreboard.”
Skipper Ruhan Nel was a late withdrawal due to a calf injury, with Wandisile Simelane starting at 13 and De Villiers taking over the captaincy.
Dobson hopes the 35-year-old Nel will only be sidelined for about a week, but said the team would be conservative with his return.
“That can be three or four months if it goes wrong,” he warned.
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On his first outing as Stormers captain, De Villiers said having Siya Kolisi and Deon Fourie on the field helped him with his new responsibilities.
“I think the team put me up quite easily. I look to my left and there’s a Springbok captain, and to my right there’s Brannas, so it was an easy one to start with,” the 23-year-old flanker added.
“First Champions Cup game, a few guys got an opportunity, a bonus-point win … You always want to learn, and if you can learn while winning and doing well, that’s awesome.”
Dobson’s men will now return to URC action against the Scarlets in Cape Town next week.
Photo: Thinus Maritz/INPHO
The post Dobbo pumped after ‘flat’ performance appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
John Dobson was pleased with how the Stormers dealt with two player dismissals and a sub-par first half to skin the Bristol Bears for a big Investec Champions Cup opening win.
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