DHL Stormers gearing up for Glasgow duel
Director of Rugby John Dobson was thrilled with what was a crucial win for the DHL Stormers against Munster at DHL Stadium, ahead of a key clash against the Vodacom United Rugby Championship title-holders in Stellenbosch next week.
The DHL Stormers scored four tries and Damian Willemse kicked 14 points in a 34-19 bonus-point victory on Saturday, in their first home game of the Vodacom URC season after a three-week European tour.
This victory marked the DHL Stormers’ first triumph over the Irish club in five encounters in the Vodacom URC, and they will next face the Glasgow Warriors at Danie Craven Stadium in Round Six of the competition.
First-ever win over Munster
“The feeling is pure relief. This was a really tough week. For me, the record against Munster wasn’t a massive thing. If we had another loss, it could’ve done more damage. Last year, we felt that pressure after the 0-4 tour. There was a knife to our throat for the whole season. If we had lost tonight, we really would’ve been on the dust road. We have another one to do next week, then I think we will be in a really good spot.”
Key takeaways from result
“Where I think we were absolutely magnificent was defensively. Munster are a really good attacking team, but they needed us to give away penalties to get any entries. So I thought this was a very good defensive effort. We were a team fighting for a win. We started the second half with a lot of intensity. The way we finished was good as well.”
Damian Willemse’s performance
“He was really good, wasn’t he? We get crucified for playing Damian in different positions, but he is such a strong team man. He will never sit there and ask us to choose between him and Warrick Gelant at fullback. He is all about being wherever the team needs him. Last week, he made mistakes against Edinburgh, but they weren’t related to him playing at flyhalf. His last game at flyhalf was a Test match at Twickenham almost two years ago. Given that, you could almost expect a couple of mistakes when he was thrown in at 10 at a high-level competition in Edinburgh. Today, he was really, really good. He went down with a knock to his chest, but he said he wanted to keep playing. He is an extraordinarily committed guy and an absolute treasure.”
Facing Glasgow in the Winelands
“There is so much desperation from within this team to do well. We don’t have a good record against Glasgow, but all three of the last games have been at Scotstoun Stadium. They are the defending Vodacom URC champions and it’s our last home game before the break. It’s a big one for us. If we get it right, it means we have won three out of five, having already toured, so we will be hard in the mix. It’s going to be a vibe in Stellenbosch.”
