It would be brave and many might describe the suggestion as foolish, which maybe it is, but it might not be a bad idea for John Dobson to give more than cursory thought to some of his DHL Stormers selection options in some key areas ahead of Saturday night’s match in Paris.
You don’t normally change a winning team, nor do you bench a Springbok, but sometimes a left field option might prove good thinking should the conditions demand it and one be available. And the Stormers arguably do have that as they head to France requiring a win over Stade Francais in their final Investec Champions Cup Pool 4 game to be sure of their place in the round of 16.
It is an important game for the Stormers in the elite European competition as they are also jostling for a top two position with Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks and the home advantage that brings with it.
The way the tournament works the top two in each of the four pools get home advantage in the round of 16, but the teams get seeded from 1 to 16 so that the sides with the most points overall get drawn against the sides left in the competition that have the least points. And an anagram sent out on Monday shows the peril that could await the Stormers in the round of 16 should they not hit their target and make it into the top two in their Pool.
MAY END UP GOING TO LOFTUS FOR ROUND OF 16
As it stands, the Stormers are ranked eighth and the Vodacom Bulls ninth, which would mean the two South African sides would meet in the round of 16 at the DHL Stadium. However, should the Stormers lose on Saturday and end third, that could be reversed, as the Bulls should be favoured to win against Bordeaux at Loftus despite the good form the French side is in currently. So the Cape team may find themselves going to Loftus to play their arch-rivals.
Whichever way you look at it, a third place finish is not desirable, as the alternatives to the Bulls are all difficult away opponents, such as Harlequins or last year’s Champions Cup nemesis for the Stormers, Exeter Chiefs, who beat them comfortably in the Sandy Park quarterfinal.
The Stormers will back themselves in a home playoff game regardless of the opponent, so a victory, which is likely to give them second spot as the ranking system means that Leinster should be going full strength to Welford Road to play the Leicester Tigers in their final pool game, is a non-negotiable even though defeat is unlikely to cost them a round of 16 spot.
Talking of Welford Road, it was the unexpectedly good performance put in by a team made up of second string players there at the start of the Champions Cup that should give Dobson reason to pause before settling on his selection for the Paris game. And that is particularly the case when it comes to flyhalf.
MATTHEE LOOKS SUITED TO NORTHERN HEMISPHERE GAME
Young Jurie Matthee was outstanding in that game and it was no coincidence that afterwards Dobson felt the performance was the closest he’d seen when it came to the Stormers getting their northern hemisphere template right. It probably won’t happen, and Manie Libbok is of course a Springbok and in good form, but after the win over Sale there was some talk of snow and cold being anticipated in Paris next weekend. Sure enough, the current forecast says it will be -2 degrees in Paris on Saturday evening. And that might just mean it will be more Matthee’s game than it is Libbok’s, and call for a horses for courses selection.
Certainly, regardless of what selection Dobson comes up with, there might need to be some focus from him on impressing upon the players who wear 10 and 15 in particular to curb their natural instincts. Dobson was pleased to see some of his team’s attacking ‘bling’ return against Sale, and certainly the second Leolin Zas try was worth raving about.
But the Stormers were also still a bit loose and sloppy in their eagerness to follow through on their attacking mindset and that was what conceded what could still be a crucial losing bonus point for Sale. At an away venue, on a cold night, it might cost them more than just a point, it might cost them victory.
Dobson made it clear a while back that he will take his full strength team to the Stade Francais game as there are no logistical obstacles standing in the way like there were when the competition started with the trip to Leicester, when he had just a six day turnaround to the Cape Town game against La Rochelle. This time the games are kicking off exactly a week apart, to the minute.
It would be a big call to entrust the responsibilities on Matthee, and benching a Springbok would certainly appear very left field and open the coach for criticism if it didn’t work. The confidence in Matthee’s tactical kicking abilities are also based on just one game. Putting away their party tricks when the conditions don’t suit it should also just be common sense to top players. But considering Matthee as a horses for courses alternative could also prove a masterstroke given the type of rugby Dobson appears to feel is necessary when his team head to the other side of the equator at this time of the year.
LOADER SHOULD BE BACK
It is highly unlikely to happen, of course, so Ben Loader, recruited from England during the off-season, returning on the wing for Courtnall Skosan should be the only change at the back from the team that beat Sale. Suleiman Hartzenberg looks better suited to wing at this stage of his career but there is no denying his promise and until new recruit Wandisile Simelane gets up to speed defensively and gets better acquainted with the Stormers systems he is likely to continue at No 13 in the absence of the long-term injured Ruhan Nel.
Dobson confirmed after the Sale game that the ligament injury that Nel sustained against the Hollywoodbets Sharks in the last game of 2023 will keep the former Blitzbok out for the rest of the season. The utility value of some of his players does give Dobson several options - apart from Hartzenberg, who will probably end up settling in the position, Warrick Gelant has played at outside centre and it is where he played his schools rugby, while to me Damian Willemse also looks tailor-made for the position should he be required to fill in there as more than just the stop-gap he has been recently.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is also due back from injury shortly, and is one of several players who should be back in the mix for the next Vodacom United Rugby Championship game in Durban on 17 February. When he’s back then a switch to 13 for Dan du Plessis is possible.