John Dobson has emphasised to the Stormers the importance of backing up the derby win against the Vodacom Bulls with a New Year’s Eve victory over the Lions. DYLAN JACK reports.
The Stormers scored a flurry of second-half tries in a 37-27 victory at Cape Town Stadium on Friday night, in a rematch of last season’s final.
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The win saw the Stormers go five points clear of their rivals in the South African shield, with a game in hand.
While the Stormers are in a strong position in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, John Dobson said the next two games, against the Lions at home and Glasgow away, will be decisive in terms of how they manage the squad through the rest of the season.
“We have to get through next week, with the Lions in town,” said the Stormers coach. “That’s a non-negotiable. Then we have Glasgow.
“If we can get those two right, then we are in a really good position. Then we might be able to say to ourselves, that we can be more circumspect around selection. Today does put us in a good position to work with that.
“If we get through the next two rounds, then we will start being creative. Trips to Leinster and Ulster are tough. If we get ourselves in a good position, we can give some guys off.”
The Stormers will give their players both Christmas day and the Day of Goodwill on Monday off, before they return to training on Tuesday to prepare for the Lions clash.
Dobson said there are no concerns with keeping his charges motivated and focused for the match against the Lions.
“We know full well that we will undo the good of today if we don’t follow it up with a good performance next week. I have got no worries with that. We’ve managed that aspect quite well. It’s about getting in and out of training as quickly as we can, with no unnecessary meetings.
“There will be no Dobbo meetings about Shakespeare or Greek mythology. I will treat them to that in the new year,” Dobson added with a laugh.
The Lions were the last team to beat the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium, in December 2021.
“We have gone over a 360 days since that game unbeaten, but now we need that Lions game to make it the whole year,” said Dobson. “That’s really important to us.
“It will add a bit into that game, that it’s the last one of the year against the team that really beat us convincingly on 4 December last year. That will be a big driver for us as a coaching group this week.”
Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix
