“Your Heart Rate Climbs” – Dobbo Admits Tension In Stormers’ Northern-Style Grind
DHL Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson labeled their win over Edinburgh a “job done” despite a frustrating 13th-place rank in points conversion.
Tactical kicking and high-ball dominance secured the result in Northern Hemisphere-style conditions at DHL Stadium on Saturday.
“I would have preferred it not to have been a scrappy arm wrestle, but that’s the reality of the conditions. It felt like the northern hemisphere. We won the scraps and the kicking contest,” Dobson acknowledged after the match.
Despite securing the result, Dobson expressed some frustration at his team’s inability to fully capitalize on their dominance, particularly in the first half.
“It was a bit frustrating at half-time not to have really had a greater lead. That intercept try led to a big swing,” he explained. “Towards the end, we were well on top, and we could have done a bit more damage. To me, it’s very much a job done,” said Dobson.
The tension of the contest was evident as the game wore on.
“At 14–12 down, getting towards the hour mark, your heart rate is climbing,” Dobson admitted, highlighting the pressure his team faced before regaining control and finishing strong.
A key talking point was the team’s effectiveness under the high ball, an area where they have shown significant improvement.
“If you lose out, it’s frustrating. Nobody really wants us to box kick all the time, but it was horses for courses this week,” he said.
“We are a transition-based team, and unfortunately, teams have stopped kicking out and are kicking long against us, so we have to get really good in this space.”
However, not everything went to plan. Dobson pointed to moments of poor decision-making, particularly around risky offloads, with both locks – Adre Smith and JD Schickerling trying uncharacteristic offloads – as costly errors that prevented the team from putting the game beyond doubt.
“JD’s one had no consequence, and we got away with Adre’s one – but that led to the breakdown where we were leading 7-0, three yards from their line. We went for the long “Hail Mary” pass, where we should have used the pick and go.”
Execution in key moments remains a concern for the side, especially given their strong attacking positions throughout the match.
“We spoke about our execution all week. We are second for our amount of entries but 13th for our conversion rate, which is a massive discrepancy,” Dobson noted.
“It cost us massively. If we had gotten that 14-point lead with absolute dominance, it would have been a different game. It was disappointing for us.”
While the result ultimately went their way, Dobson’s assessment made it clear that there is still plenty of work to be done if his team is to turn dominance into decisive victories.
