Stormers XXIII coach Tom Dawson-Squibb was ecstatic after Saturday’s bounce-back win, buoyed even more by a possible personnel boost for next week’s Cheetahs clash.
Five tries, including a debut score from teenager Markus Muller, powered the Stormers to a 36-28 bonus-point victory against the Sharks XV at Cape Town Stadium in round three of the Currie Cup, a week on from a 41-3 loss to the Boland Cavaliers.
“I said – not to the players but to myself – ‘if we lose, we lose’ but there must be an energy in our performance. I felt it was a proper, purposeful performance,” Dawson-Squibb said post-match.
“I also joked, Markus Muller played in last year’s interschools, and that’s happening today! You’ve got young guys willing to put their body on the line, and that’s massive.
“I was upset last week because of that very thing. It’s one of those wins where you’re so happy with the result and with the effort.”
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Stefan Ungerer led the side again with Jean-Luc du Plessis still out injured, and Dawson-Squibb credited the scrumhalf’s leadership after the Boland loss.
“You only have to read Facebook to see how bad we were last week, and then Stef comes and he rallies the troops. For me, that’s exceptional.”
Ungerer, whose men led 19-14 at the break before pulling clear through Josh Boulle and Xola Nyali tries, said there was still room for improvement despite the result.
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“We wanted to put something out there that we can be proud of. It’s hardly ever you get the perfect game, so there’s definitely things we can take out of that to be better next week,” he added.
“But it’s a lot easier to work on those when there are a lot of positives to go with it.”
Dawson-Squibb also praised flyhalf Kyle Smith, who kicked 11 points: “I thought he had a great performance. A guy like that just needs a bit of confidence. I know how happy he was to play. Credit to him for marshalling us.”
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He hopes Du Plessis, who has missed two matches with a knee injury, can return to face the Cheetahs at Athlone Stadium next Sunday.
“He’s got a charisma and a persona about him that is what we want in our team, a real competitor,” the coach noted.
“I understand soft tissue doesn’t heal in five minutes, but my hope is that JL will be back.”
Looking ahead, Dawson-Squibb was wary of the Cheetahs, who fell narrowly to defending champions Griquas on Friday night.
“We know the Cheetahs are good. They’re cohesive, well coached and I can’t wait for Sunday afternoon in Athlone,” he said.
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Stormers chuffed to silence Facebook critics appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Stormers XXIII coach Tom Dawson-Squibb was ecstatic after Saturday’s bounce-back win, buoyed even more by a possible personnel boost for next week’s Cheetahs clash.
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