John Dobson chalked it up to a learning experience after the DHL Stormers faded in a bonus-point Vodacom United Rugby Championship win over Dragons on Saturday afternoon. DYLAN JACK reports.

The Stormers secured their second bonus-point win in a row over Welsh opposition in a 34-26 victory over Dragons at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

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While the Stormers raced into a 28-7 lead in the first half, the Cape side struggled to handle the heat of a Dragons fightback and ended the game very much on the back foot, conceding three tries in the second half.

“I was pretty happy up until the 65th minute. I thought we were okay up until a defensive misread let JJ Hanrahan score that try. You are not going to win every game in the URC by 50 points,” said Dobson after the match.

“Our body language went down and we were making poor decisions at halfback in those last 20 minutes. I am very disappointed. We have a lot to learn about how it fell apart at the end.”

The Stormers’ performance was eerily similar to their victory over Scarlets in the previous round, but Dobson is not concerned over a potential pattern emerging before their Champions Cup debut next week.

“I think we got enough out of these games to be comfortable. I am not worried. That was a very poor second half, especially the last 15 minutes. It leaves a bitter taste.

“I suppose that shouldn’t take out from the sort of rugby that we played and the log points that we got. We probably should go and win these games 56-0, but that doesn’t really happen against the quality teams in the URC.

“I brought on Connor Evans and Lee-Marvin Mazibuko as quickly as I could, to protect players. Making those early changes, sometimes they bring on energy and sometimes it disrupts the flow of the team. We were thinking about next week. We couldn’t have Neethling Fouche injured and Manie’s groin was tightening up. ”

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The game was the Stormers’ first as hosts at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and Dobson said they would be delighted to return in the future.

“This was an overwhelming success. To play in this stadium with this rugby culture with the support we had, it was a great success. It really does feel like home, the guys loved it.”

Photo: Steve Haag Sports/INPHO/Shutterstock/BackpagePix