Dobson Hails Stormers’ ‘Remarkable Effort’ Despite All Blacks Defeat

Stormers director of rugby John Dobson hailed his side’s “remarkable effort” after they pushed the All Blacks for large periods of their clash before ultimately running out of steam in the final quarter.

The Stormers were beaten by the All Blacks despite remaining firmly in the contest with 15 minutes remaining, but four late tries saw the visitors pull away as the Cape side’s lack of match fitness eventually caught up with them.

Having not played a competitive match since their United Rugby Championship semi-final against Leinster in Dublin on 6 June, the Stormers had only trained for three weeks before facing one of the best teams in world rugby.

Dobson admitted the lack of match preparation was always going to be a challenge, but he was immensely proud of how his players responded to the occasion.

“More than you can imagine,” Dobson said when asked if he was proud of his players and whether they had honoured the occasion.

“During the week, we said that we have pride as a team. To go out there and play one of the best teams in the world, we’ve still come back with our pride in the changeroom. I can’t fault anything about the team. It was a remarkable effort.”

The Stormers’ lack of game time was evident as the match progressed, particularly in the final quarter, but they showed remarkable resilience to stay within touching distance of the All Blacks deep into the contest.

“We’ve trained for three weeks. That first bit of contact was the first since Dublin,” Dobson said, referring to their URC semi-final on 6 June.

“We knew that in the first five to 10 minutes our heads would ring a bit,” admitted the Stormers director of rugby.

The Stormers were also dealt a series of setbacks during the match, losing both scrumhalves Imad Khan and Dewaldt Duvenage to injury.

With their resources stretched, Seabelo Senatla was forced to finish the match at scrumhalf, while Hacjivah Dayimani was deployed on the wing.

“Imad Khan went off injured early on; I don’t know who ended up at scrumhalf, and we had a flanker on the wing. So we were boxing,” Dobson said.

“I’m super proud of them, and hopefully we did the occasion, which was a great one, justice.”

The Stormers were also missing several key players who are currently part of the Springbok setup, as well as several others unavailable through injury.

For Dobson, however, the performance offered further evidence that the Stormers’ long-term Project 2029 plan is beginning to take shape.

“It was a similar picture to Dublin,” Dobson said.

“On 65 minutes, we were going toe-to-toe against a quality side like the All Blacks and being reshuffled as we were. We just couldn’t hold on.”

The Stormers’ ability to remain competitive against the All Blacks despite their depleted squad was particularly encouraging for Dobson, who believes it demonstrated the growing depth within the franchise.

“If you had said two or three years ago that we could take out the 10 guys who would’ve played across this weekend who are not available due to injury, and you still go on to produce this, I think the project is taking shape,” he said.

“We dared to dream for a while.”

The injury to Khan was particularly difficult for Dobson, with the young scrumhalf viewed as an important part of the Stormers’ future.

“What happened to Immi was terrible. He’s a big part of that. It was such a big, storied game for Immi,” Dobson said.

“The project in terms of Immi, Yaqeen, Wandi Mlaba is absolutely confirmed. He’ll be a fantastic Stormer, so it seems really progressive.”

While the All Blacks eventually found a way through the Stormers’ defence, Dobson was encouraged by how his side managed to restrict the visitors’ attacking threats for long periods.

“Defensively, we felt we got on top of them. They weren’t getting the threats,” he said.

“But let’s be clear, they pass so well, and that style of rugby is magnificent. Unfortunately, it needs to be balanced out.”

Dobson felt the Stormers had succeeded in limiting the All Blacks’ options for much of the contest but ultimately could not maintain that pressure for the full 80 minutes.

“We did have them shut down and boxed in,” he added.

The defeat will undoubtedly leave the Stormers disappointed, but their ability to remain competitive against one of the world’s leading international sides despite their lengthy layoff, injuries and depleted squad could prove significant as they continue building towards their longer-term ambitions.