Coach Tom Dawson-Squibb admits the Stormers XXIII were unable to match the Lions’ physicality as their Currie Cup campaign ended with a 36-12 defeat at Ellis Park on Friday.
Dawson-Squibb felt the hosts’ physical approach proved decisive as the Stormers struggled to execute their game plan.
“I think our ability to convert in that first half was not strong enough. We put ourselves in some good positions, but then weren’t able to do that,” he said.
“I thought we had really good parity – if not dominance – at set-piece early on in the game, which gave us a nice platform to play from. But that started to change later on in the game which made it difficult.
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“I thought the physicality of the Lions was really exceptional and something they can be proud of and probably that we can learn from in order to succeed.
“Your physicality needs to be strong. Our plan was good for the game, but we didn’t necessarily execute that plan. We started to come second in a lot of the one-on-one battles.”
Despite the disappointing end to the campaign, Dawson-Squibb was pleased with the opportunities provided to the Stormers’ younger players.
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“I was very happy with Gert [Kemp]. He only had one week of training with us, but he came in and produced a performance,” Dawson-Squibb said.
“I’m very happy with Markus [Muller] and I thought some guys really put their hands up through the season to say ‘I’ll be a force to be reckoned with.’”
Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
The post Dawson-Squibb: Lions outmuscled Stormers appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Coach Tom Dawson-Squibb admits the Stormers XXIII were unable to match the Lions’ physicality as their Currie Cup campaign ended with a 36-12 defeat at Ellis Park on Friday.
The post Dawson-Squibb: Lions outmuscled Stormers appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
