DHL Stormers up for the fight in London
Director of Rugby John Dobson is proud of the resilience from the DHL Stormers in the face of adversity as the team gears up for a trip to London to face Harlequins in the Investec Champions Cup.
The DHL Stormers went down in their Round One clash with French side RC Toulon at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
The home side led at half-time, but two tries from the visitors in the second half saw them come from behind to claim the spoils in Gqeberha.
Dobson and captain Neethling Fouche gave their thoughts after the match in the Friendly City, before the DHL Stormers regroup for this coming Saturday’s encounter with Harlequins at Twickenham Stoop.
John Dobson
The challenges against RC Toulon
“It’s a sore changing room, with two guys in hospital – it was a brutal game. We stuck around, the fight from us was great but I don’t think I’ve seen a bigger team than RC Toulon. It’s comparable to Stade Rochelais. From that aspect the way we stuck around was good. With eight minutes to go they had 13 men, we could’ve scored down the other end. But we were outmuscled.”
The effect of players missing due to injury
“It’s not an excuse but to play that game without Deon Fourie, Evan Roos, Keke Morabe, Ben-Jason Dixon, Frans Malherbe, Steven Kitshoff, Damian Willemse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Dan du Plessis, Ben Loader, Manie Libbok – it’s not insignificant.”
The condition of Keke Morabe, Manie Libbok and Ben-Jason Dixon
“Keke has fractured his leg again for the second time in nine months, which is really tough. Manie is a big concern – a normal concussion you don’t go straight to hospital. BJ failed his second HIA so we’ll have to wait and hear what’s the outcome. Our players aren’t suffering soft tissue injuries, it’s trauma injuries. That’s why I give enormous credit to Neethling and the team.”
Going forward in the Investec Champions Cup
“We’re still fighting. The last two weeks I’ve seen us go toe-to-toe with international-laden teams. I think while we’re in pain now and it’s tough, this DHL Stormers group will be a lot better off for the experience after the last couple of weeks with the depths we’ve gone to, and we’re not backing away.”
Neethling Fouche
Key takeaways from the result
“It’s quite sad because you could almost smell that win. Just after half-time we’re on their goal line; we score there we go 21-10 and RC Toulon are probably asking more questions than us at that juncture. But we didn’t finish there and then we were under pressure. Teams like RC Toulon, with lots of internationals, they’re not going to let that pressure go.”
Playing in front of a receptive crowd in Gqeberha
“I think half the crowd was Ali Vermaak’s family! Every time we play here we’re just amazed – I mean, 25 000-plus people in the stands, you can’t ask for more as players. Running out you’re literally getting goosebumps, and this isn’t even the Western Cape. We’re just grateful for the support, and it’s disappointing that we couldn’t give them a win. They deserved it, the way they came out and the passion they showed.”
