Stormers shine in Champions Cup win over La Rochelle, acknowledge areas to improve

The Stormers delivered a powerful statement in the Champions Cup on Saturday afternoon, overpowering La Rochelle 42–21 in Gqeberha, but the mood in the camp afterwards was one of reflection rather than celebration.

Despite scoring six tries and claiming a valuable bonus-point win, the Cape side knows that their performance still left room for improvement.

Playing at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, the Stormers burst out of the blocks, crossing early and putting immediate pressure on their French opponents. Their physicality and tempo caused La Rochelle problems, and for long periods in the clash the South African side appeared firmly in control.

However, moments of inaccuracy and lapses in focus and discipline prevented them from fully capitalising on their dominance.

Director of rugby John Dobson acknowledged that while the result was pleasing, the process behind it was not always up to standard.

“That was a learning experience for us, we had to manage the game better at the 20th minute mark,” Dobson said.

It was during that period that the Stormers eased off, allowing La Rochelle to claw their way back into the contest.

“We would've liked the win to be more perfect. There is stuff we did not get right today that we spoke about in the week. We must get that right before the local derbies. It was about the outcome (the result), but it wasn't a good process,” he added.

Dobson also felt that the Stormers were perhaps caught out by how easily things seemed to come early on, especially after two excellent tries were disallowed.

“It felt like we were energised at the start (scoring those two quick tries) and then there were two disallowed tries. I think we got seduced into it being too easy. To produce the intensity at the start, was very good. But we spiralled (at the start) and they fought, to give them credit.”

Despite those concerns, the bigger picture remains extremely positive.

The Stormers are unbeaten after eight matches in all competitions and sit in a strong position halfway through the Champions Cup pool stages, having collected nine out of a possible ten points.

With local derbies in the United Rugby Championship looming, Dobson believes these small imperfections must be addressed quickly. The intensity and ambition are clearly there — now it’s about sustaining them for a full 80 minutes.