The Stormers want to make smarter decisions on Saturday against the Ospreys to avoid getting caught in a losable position again at Cape Town Stadium, reports DEVIN HERMANUS.

John Dobson’s men were on the back foot for much of the second half in last Saturday’s 23-20 win over Ulster, despite an excellent start from the home side.

The Capetonians’ defensive and tactical awareness was severely tested by the Irish tourists, and it took a controversial call from the referee and a vital tackle from Hacjivah Dayimani to save the Stormers’ blushes.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s clash in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, Stormers backline coach Dawie Snyman said: “We weren’t pleased with ourselves [after the Ulster match]; we made one or two tactical errors and learned a valuable lesson this past weekend.

“Our decision-making at stages of the game when we were under pressure, we still tried to attack … we need to better assess the scenario and see if we’re not boxed into a corner.

“We’re also working on identifying space quicker, but now rather looking for pockets in the game to exploit it.”

The Ospreys were bamboozled by the Lions at Ellis Park on Friday, the Welsh outfit going down 45-15 in face of a cavalier attack underwritten by a pack working tirelessly off the ball, and backs who showcased their finishing skills.

The Stormers have relied on a similar gameplan in three successive wins over visiting European teams, but Snyman says the Ospreys will fancy their chances more in the Cape than on the highveld.  

“It was a shock for them versus the Lions; altitude is a factor and those teams will still need to learn,” he said. “We’re expecting them to step up against us. It’s a level playing field in [Cape Town] so we need to put them under pressure.

“We’ll have to look at what they do differently and then focus on ourselves and play a little better than last time.”