Stormers Reeling After Error-Strewn Defeat
After a performance riddled with individual errors—one as moody and gloomy as the weather—Director of Rugby John Dobson is under no illusion regarding the task ahead.
With what he describes as three “must-win” games looming, the pressure on the DHL Stormers has reached a fever pitch.
In the aftermath of their 33–24 defeat on Saturday, in which they conceded five tries—three in the final quarter—Dobson made it clear that the loss of long-serving manager Chippie Solomon was no excuse for an error-strewn display.
The result meant the Stormers failed to secure even a bonus point, falling short of the four tries required and losing by more than seven points, which denied them a losing bonus point.
“To get nothing out of today is very disappointing,” lamented Dobson.
“We have to win all three remaining games to get to where we want to be. It’s much easier said than done. We’re playing away on two 4G pitches against teams competing for the top eight, so we’ve put ourselves in a difficult position,” he said.
“We wanted to go on tour without too much pressure, but we’re not daunted by that. We know we are good enough.”
When asked by Sportswire about the cause of the defeat—particularly the late-game capitulation—Dobson was frank in his assessment.
“Individual errors. If we hadn’t made some of those mistakes, we wouldn’t have lost the game,” he said.
“The bounce of a kick, a dropped restart, an intercept—all came from our mistakes. I don’t think we can use Chippie and the tough week to excuse them. We were beaten, and we were poor.”
“We were loose throughout,” he added. “In the first half, we tried to move the ball around without doing the hard work. There were some amazing moments in the second half—we got their maul on the ropes—but overall, I thought we were very loose.”
The Stormers have long been accused of adopting a more expansive approach at home to entertain their supporters, but it can prove detrimental—as the match against Connacht illustrated. While the players are given licence to express themselves, their deviation from the game plan appeared to frustrate Dobson.
“There was something curious about us today—we felt like we needed to invent ways to beat them.”
“We were loose and individual. I don’t think it was about being cavalier; it was a real desperation to perform, and it just didn’t happen.”
“We didn’t convert nearly enough opportunities,” he continued. “Individuals need to understand that if we break the system, there will be consequences.”
“It’s very disappointing not to get at least two points out of today,” Dobson said.
The Stormers face another emotionally charged week as they prepare to attend the funeral of Chippie Solomon, before turning their focus to the visit of table-topping Glasgow Warriors.
