Dobson Eyes Victory In The Cauldron Of Loftus
DHL Stormers director of rugby John Dobson was appreciative of the break his side enjoyed following defeat to the Lions as they look to bounce back from three defeats in a row and prepare for the edgy North-South derby against the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
“I think it’s helped us prepare. It would have been tough to come straight back up to the Highveld after a defeat,” said Dobson.
The Stormers began their URC campaign like a house on fire, winning their opening eight games as they looked unstoppable, but were dealt hammer blows with consecutive derby defeats to the Sharks, home and away, as well as against the Lions two weeks ago.
In stark contrast, the Bulls, who suffered a torrid run, losing seven games on the trot, have bounced back emphatically with four victories in succession, bolstered by huge derby victories over the Lions at Ellis Park and the high-riding Hollywoodbets Sharks at home with scores of 52-17 and 41-12 respectively.
“There were different faults in the defeat to the Lions compared to the Sharks, so it’s been good for us to get good energy, to reconnect, and work on where we need to get better,” Dobson added.
With the Stormers and Bulls providing a fair share of players for Rassie Erasmus’ Springbok alignment camp the week prior, those who remained enjoyed some downtime before focus returned to preparation for a key encounter that will go a long way in determining both sides’ fortunes with the play-offs in sight.
“A lot of guys went to the alignment camp – the Bulls probably had more guys there. We had a really good session on Friday. Given our recent results, there is a lot of introspection going on, but the excitement is building,” he said.
The Stormers have enjoyed more favourable results than the Bulls in this enterprising encounter since both sides joined the URC, with the Stormers beating the Pretoria-based side in a tense encounter in the URC Grand Final in Cape Town in 2022.
The Cape side has also edged their Northern rivals in their two most recent clashes, winning this fixture 19-16 in a rain-soaked encounter last season, before a late try earlier in this campaign saw them come out as victors, 13-8 in a tense affair at DHL Stadium.
With Dobson confirming the return of several stalwarts who could make a difference with their skillset, experience, and much-needed leadership, he pointed to this being a tough fixture to reintroduce players who have been on lengthy injury lay-offs.
“Deon (Fourie), Dan Du Plessis, and Ruhan (Nel) will be available. Seabelo (Senatla) will be back. That’s it from the long-term injury list.”
“Going up to Loftus, we need to be careful of how many guys have not played for so long, and Loftus is a demanding environment, but Ruhan will definitely be in the frame,” claimed Dobson.
Dobson also confirmed that experienced veteran campaigner Frans Malherbe was not part of full team training as yet, but has taken to the field alongside the team, and despite no timeframe attached to his return, is headed in the right direction.
After suffering injuries to key players on the much-criticised DHL Stadium pitch, matters were not much better at Ellis Park, where critics bemoaned the state of the outfield and how quickly it got cut up. The Stormers appear to be eager to exhibit their brand of rugby on the Loftus surface.
“It’s weird how the fields have been on a professional level. Something as simple as moving a scrum can impact the surface, so it will be nice to play on that Loftus surface,” he said.
