It was hard to tell whether DHL Stormers director of rugby John Dobson was relieved or elated in the aftermath of this team’s last gasp 24-20 win over the Hollywoodbets Sharks in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby played in front of a packed DHL Stadium.
Certainly when he was spotted walking down from the coaches box past the press box four minutes from the end he wore the expression of someone who could easily have fitted the nickname Mr Gloomy. He had a funereal expression on his face, not unbefitting someone being led to gallows, which might be an apt description of where he found himself.
His team was trailing by three points in a game they should have wrapped up with half an hour to go, and the consequences of another defeat were quite ghastly to contemplate in terms of where it would have left the Stormers in their campaign.
“What was I thinking? I was thinking here we go again, we’ve butchered it, although I did obviously still feel we had a chance. Sometimes those little walks of mine help, because we often score points and win games when I am doing that,” he grinned afterwards.
FELT LIKE DURBAN ALL OVER AGAIN
Losing to the Sharks in a game that the Cape side had effectively dominated, particularly in the second half, would have been a bitter pill for Dobson to swallow as the narrow defeat to the same opponents in Durban four weeks earlier was effectively down to their charitable attitude. Meaning the mistakes they made that effectively gifted the Sharks points and allowed them to get out of pressure situations.
“It did feel like Durban all over again,” agreed the Stormers mentor. “We made so many mistakes and made it so hard for ourselves. You have to give credit though to the Sharks for the fight they showed. In a way it was a reversal from our game in Durban as we were big underdogs in that game as we were missing key personnel, so we had to fight, and this time it was us who were the favourites and the Sharks the underdogs. And they fought.
“They were able to disrupt our ball and defended so well and we just couldn’t bury them. When there were those backwards tap downs when tries seemed almost certain from our side it did appear that it was just not going to be our day. It was messy, but in the second half we opened them up quite well and I thought we left a lot of points on the table.”
It wasn’t just wanting to avenge the November defeat to the Sharks that made this game such a crucial one for the Stormers. It is also about where it leaves the Stormers now. When they went into the two festive season derbies, they were 13th on the URC log and had lost four times in six starts.
Now it is four wins in eight, and crucially they picked up full points both against the Sharks and in the pre-Christmas game against the Emirates Lions.
IT WAS MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
“We said at the start of this fortnight that we need 10 points from these two games. I think we are now properly in the mix in the URC,” he said.
“I know we have Leinster and Ulster away, but if you look through the teams coming here, I don’t want to be disrespectful to any of them but they are beatable. I think we have set ourselves up nicely for one of our runs (of victories). This was a defining time. If we didn’t get this win, things would have been very tough for us.”
The Stormers don’t play a URC game again until they meet Leinster in Dublin on 25 January, with two Investec Champions Cup games against Sale Sharks (home) and Racing 92 (away) before them. Dobson agreed that the fact they are in Paris the week before the Leinster game is something that has rolled in the Stormers’ favour.
“We know we are behind the eight-ball in the Champions Cup. But we have now created a situation where we can go all out in that first game against Sale here, and if we win it with a bonus point we still have a chance of making the Champions Cup playoffs if we beat Racing. We can then go all out for that game.
“But regardless of what happens, the fact we can go on a proper tour that includes the Paris game before the one in Dublin is helpful.
"Leinster will be aware that the game is just a week before the start of the Six Nations, so that might be an opportunity for us, but regardless of what team they put out for that game, we will go full strength in an all out quest for victory. What team we field against Racing will depend on how we go against Sale Sharks.”
STARS COMING BACK
The Stormers have welcomed back several injured stars in recent weeks, including skipper Deon Fourie, who has made a big difference at the breakdowns, and will be expecting Evan Roos to come back in the mix in January. Only Damian Willemse and fellow Bok Steven Kitshoff will be out of the selection mix when Dobson considers his options for the Sale Sharks game.
“In a way it is working out perfectly for us to be getting back the players when we are because this is a critical stage of the season and we are heading into a period where there will be some big games,” he said.
“We will take a week off now and then come back refreshed. The beers on the break are going to taste so much better and more enjoyable than if we had lost this game. This win makes a world of difference to us.”