Tom Dawson-Squibb can feel his Stormers XXIII side are in the Currie Cup to win it, with stand-in skipper Stefan Ungerer relishing his role for Sunday’s trip to the Winelands.
A first-round win over Griquas last week has quickly changed the mood in the camp after Western Province – now rebranded as the Stormers XXIII – finished bottom of the Currie Cup log in 2025.
Dawson-Squibb says there is already a belief his side can challenge for the title, rather than simply serve as a feeder for the Stormers’ Vodacom URC and Investec Champions Cup squads.
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“I’ve never coached or been a part of anything that I don’t desperately want to win,” the head coach said. “And I see the same hunger across the staff.
“What has been eye-opening for me is to see the hunger that Stef Ungerer has, JL du Plessis and Cornel Smit have, guys who aren’t 21 anymore, and I think that’s infectious.
“I don’t get the feeling that we’re secondary,” Dawson-Squibb added. “We’re very realistic that we came last, last year. But I get the sense that we are like balls to the wall here.
“It was so cool to see on Friday night what it meant winning in front of our fans; it wasn’t, as they say, plastic energy. And, ja, let’s try to get a few more.”
The challenge now shifts to the Boland Cavaliers carrying momentum of their own after beating the Bulls XV in the opening round.
Dawson-Squibb noted: “Boland beat us in a friendly, they beat the Bulls, it’s on their home paddock in front of a partisan crowd, although I think there’ll be a bit of blue and white there, hopefully!
“I always see that as an opportunity – wouldn’t you rather that, than playing in front of five people somewhere where no one cares? That only raises the stakes for us.”
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Ungerer takes over the captaincy from the injured Jean-Luc du Plessis, while Dominic Malgas starts at 10 after a star cameo against Griquas.
“It’s tough on JL and if you asked him, he’d have liked to just strap up and go, but we still have a good couple of games in the season,” the scrumhalf said.
“But it’s an opportunity for Dom. He had a really good second half last week, really stepped up and took control of it.
“It is an honour to be captain and there’s a lot of experience up front and some guys at the back as well, so it’s a shared responsibility.”
On his match-winning try at Cape Town Stadium last week, Ungerer added: “You can see I’m not used to scoring the tries! I got quite uncomfortable behind the poles there, but it was genuine joy and celebration at getting over the line.”
This was just the start. This team is on a mission to grow and improve with every performance. #inittogether pic.twitter.com/cQgtQtHrJg
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) July 22, 2026
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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Tom Dawson-Squibb can feel his Stormers XXIII side are in the Currie Cup to win it, with stand-in skipper Stefan Ungerer relishing his role for Sunday’s trip to the Winelands.
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