Dobson happy as Stormers showcase their depth

DHL Stormers coach John Dobson ended his team’s training camp on the Garden Route in a happy mood after watching two teams win comfortably on the same afternoon as a SWD Eagles XV and Sharks XV were beaten in George on Friday night.

With several players, such as lock Connor Evans and utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu away due to the Western Province under-21 team’s national age-group semi-final against the Vodacom Bulls at City Park on Saturday, and of course the Springboks away in France, Dobson was delighted with the depth that was showcased in the two games at Outeniqua Park.

The Stormers XV had to come from behind in the second half against what Dobson described as a good Sharks team in the main game, eventually winning 33-21, while in the early game the Stormers players who were on the field scored nine tries in completing a 52-12 win over the SWD Eagles.

BLOMMETJIES FORCED INTO PIVOT ROLE

Clayton Blommetjies had to take the flyhalf reins in both games due to niggling injuries to Jurie Mathee and Jean-Luc du Plessis that were sustained in training in Mathee’s case and in the warmup in the case of Du Plessis. Neither of them were serious but Dobson was delighted with the way Blommetjies played in the unfamiliar position.

“We have five flyhalves on our books, but obviously Manie (Libbok) and Damian (Willemse) are away with the Springboks at the moment, and Sacha is playing for the under-21 team, so it was difficult to lose both Jean-Luc and Jurie basically on the day of the game,” said Dobson.

“It meant Blomme (Blommetjies) had to play flyhalf, after the first game he was effectively called out of the shower to go and play in the game against the Sharks. What he did and the way he knuckled down to the task of playing two consecutive games epitomises the spirit we have in the Stormers camp. Obviously we lacked a regular game driver with effectively no regular flyhalf but two fullbacks on the field in both games, but Clayton did well.

“We got what we needed from the two fixtures on the same day is the short answer to the question of how we feel about it. It is credit to WP that we have a team playing in the under-21 semifinal on Saturday and some of those guys would have been playing here. Conor Evans is already a Stormers player and so is Sacha, and there are seven or eight other guys in that under-21 team that have played Currie Cup rugby.

“So to be able to fill two teams in one day was brilliant. The results weren’t so important but it was good to end the camp on a high and not end it with what if questions. That was a good Sharks team we played against and we played very well in the second half.”

SELECTION HEADACHES

Dobson said that the form shown by players across the board meant he had some selection headaches to look forward to as he considers his lineup for the first game of the new Vodacom United Rugby Championship season two weeks from now.

“I would say that every player who played in these games ended it with me having a better opinion of them than before the start, so that is good. Those who watched the games will know there are some difficult decisions to make. Courtnall Skosan and Ben Loader were very good on the wings, and Warrick Gelant was just sublime.”

The Stormers reportedly dominated the early stages of the game against the Sharks but didn’t take full advantage and the Sharks scored a try against the run of play and then another to take a 14-7 lead to the break that was increased to 21-7 shortly afterwards, wing Werner Kok scoring either side of halftime, before the Stormers clicked into gear.

There were five mauling drive tries in the first game and Dobson was delighted with that as it has been something his players and coaches have been working hard on during the off-season.

One of the big positives to come out of the exercise from a Stormers viewpoint is that unlike at the corresponding stage of last year, where a few players suffered injuries that kept them out of the competition stage of the season for quite a while, there were no major mishaps.

“Ben Loader suffered a concussion but otherwise there’s no-one who is out for longer than a week and that’s a massive positive as we head into the new season,” said Dobson.

SCORES

DHL Stormers XV 52-12 SWD Eagles

Stormers XV

Tries: Chris Hollis 2, Andre-Hugo Venter 3, Hendre Stassen 2, Jarrod Taylor

Penalty tries: x1

Conversions: Clayton Blommetjies 6

SWD Eagles

Tries: Hollis 2

Conversion: Hollis

DHL Stormers XV 33-21 Hollywoodbets Sharks XV

Stormers XV

Tries: Angelo Davids 2, Dan du Plessis, Ruhan Nel and Evan Roos