Cape Town - There were more than 44 000 spectators at a buzzing Cape Town Stadium last weekend, and the Stormers are hoping to reach the 50 000 mark for tomorrow’s United Rugby Championship semi-final against Connacht.
Coach John Dobson’s team pulled off an excellent 33-21 victory over old foes the Bulls in the quarter-final on Saturday, and now hope to continue their winning ways to contest a second consecutive final – after beating the Bulls in the 2022 decider.
Despite tickets starting from as low as R80 for tomorrow’s clash, Dobson was appreciative of the support this week, adding that the Stormers “feel the weight of that” with regards to Capetonians spending their hard-earned cash on their favourite sports team.
“People choosing us, it means the world to the team, even if we are not fighting for a home final – that’s out of our control. But we have to put in a performance,” the coach said.
Irish province Connacht proved that they won’t be pushovers after beating a powerful Ulster side away in Belfast last weekend.
But no matter how tough an opponent they may be, Stormers loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani said this week that the home side will aim to produce another eye-catching display for their beloved fans.
The semi-final is also likely to be a farewell for Stormers captain Steven Kitshoff, who is joining Ulster next season.
“It’s so beautiful to see. A few years ago just before Covid, the stadiums felt empty, and now people are rushing to watch us play. Our main goal is to make Cape Town smile,” Dayimani said on the team website.
“The people of Cape Town love rugby so much that even the car guard is telling you to please win because he bought tickets for his family to come watch. In other words, it’s bigger than rugby, it’s bigger than me and you, and that’s what we as the Stormers players play for.
“The amount of Stormers jerseys you see at the taxi rank or in the city shows you the mission we are busy with. That’s the main reason we decided to step up last season.
“We give our people a reason to come and watch us play. The Stormers represent the diversity South Africa has.”
The match kicks off at 4pm, and fans are advised to park in the city centre and catch a free (for ticketholders) MyCiTi bus shuttle from the Civic Centre, Thibault Square and CTICC bus stations to the stadium.