We got lucky: 'Iffy' Stormers defence almost cost us Sharks win, says Dobbo
Head coach John Dobson is kwaad over the Stormers defence in Durban on Saturday, saying his manne were “lucky” to beat the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship nailbiter at Kings Park.
The 25-21 victory for the Kapenaars extended their recent record in the coastal derby to seven in a row, and left them five points behind the Bulls, the leading SA team in the competition, on the log ahead of the second north-south clash of the season in Pretoria on March 2.
A 70th-minute penalty from young inside centre Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu gave the Stormers some breathing room as they held on to deny the Springbok-laden Sharks.
Addressing his side’s efforts in Durbs, Dobson says: “I still feel a bit iffy, because I don’t think we saw the defensive DNA of the Stormers. We weren’t making the reads or getting off the line.
“The Sharks team really played, they never stopped coming. If we didn’t turn over that lineout at the end, I thought we would be under pressure.
“I don’t know what was going on there, even towards the end I felt there were a lot of guys holding shoulders, a lot of guys sitting down which isn’t us maybe I’m being too harsh but almost wanted to say, ‘get up!’ You’ve got a stinger? Get up, it’s who we are! That lacked a bit.
“We’re lucky to get away with that one towards the end here, it’s the truth, hey.”
The @Vodacom #URC Man of the Match in Durban, our cappie @johneetfouche 🎖️ #SHAvSTO #iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/nIEmN8tksC
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) February 17, 2024
With the enforced absence of the three Boks, Dobbo praised fullback Warrick Gelant’s performance and ‘second-stringers’ like Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
He adds: “Strategically and tactically, there were some really good performances from some of the second-string players.
“With Warrick, people see the high-profile mistakes… for us, he’s been good all season in terms of his traditional, positional play and his game driving.”
devin.hermanus@inl.co.za