A penalty from Manie Libbok got the hosts on the scoreboard, before Roos barged over from a rolling maul with five minutes to go for the Stormers to take the lead. Picture: Stormers/Twitter
Stormers boss John Dobson says his span’s dramatic late victory over Ulster is the perfect prep for this Saturday’s clash with European Cup holders La Rochelle innie Kaap.
In a game where the Kapenaars trailed for most of the 80 minutes, a 75th-minute try from No.8 Evan Roos earned the Stormers a 13-7 win over the Easter weekend in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
They dominated possession and territory in the second half, but sukkeled to find a way through Ulster.
A penalty from Manie Libbok got the hosts on the scoreboard, before Roos barged over from a rolling maul with five minutes to go for the Stormers to take the lead, and a Libbok conversion and another penalty after the hooter clinched the win.
The try that sealed the deal from @evanroos4 #STOvULS #iamastormer #dhldelivers @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/LDkojHy27r
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) March 30, 2024
The Stormers and La Rochelle will battle in a replay of their 16 December encounter in the Champions Cup at Cape Town Stadium, won by the hosts, and Dobson expects a regte “Test match” against the back-to-back Euro champions.
Dobbo says: “Physically [against Ulster], we were amazing. But when we got the ball, we just hacked it away. We tweaked our defence at halftime, but it was a lesson for us.
“What gave us hope was that we were great physically on defence. It was tough [but] will be very helpful for [Saturday]. It will be a different size of animal coming.
“Selection will be a problem, fitting all these guys in. It’s a chicken and egg situation. Do you choose to stop La Rochelle, by picking your most physical guys, or do you think you can break them open, which might require something else?
“It’s going to be a Test match. They are one of the best club teams in the world, better than most Test teams.”
Meanwhile, reports have emerged linking URC title-winning former Stormers skipper Steven Kitshoff, after just facing his ex-team for the first time with Ulster, with a return to the Cape next season.
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