Cape Town - The biggest lesson the Stormers need to heed from their previous clash against Clermont is to “work hard off the ball” and execute their kicking game.
That was the word from coach John Dobson yesterday ahead of tomorrow Champions Cup showdown with the French outfit at Cape Town Stadium (7.30pm kickoff).
The Stormers were well in control with a 14-3 halftime lead at the intimidating Stade Marcel Michelin in early December, but went down 24-14 in the end, and Dobson is keen to avoid a repeat as the Capetonians hunt down a playoff spot.
It is likely to be a home round of 16 encounter if they secure a bonus-point win, so there is a lot to play for tomorrow night.
“We were very poor with our general kicking game and exiting the last time. We were poor at stopping momentum with Sebastien Vahaamahina, and we let them get onto the front foot,” Dobson said.
“It was very different at zero degrees at the Stade Marcel Michelin, with that crowd on top of you, and it will be very different now. But we kicked poorly and didn’t work hard enough off the ball.
“We got beaten in that second half, and there is nothing more dangerous than a French team who have just fired their coach!
“In their Leicester game (last weekend), it was a really tight game of rugby, and we’ve had tough times in the second half.
“We are playing a European giant to see if we can get through to the next round of the Champions Cup, and we could potentially host a quarter-final too. It’s going to be special, and we are going to have a good team.
“They are good with their counter-attack, and if they get those big ball-carriers coming at you – those French packs are huge, and it’s hard to get back in if they are on top of you.”
But there was some good news on the injury front during training on a hot afternoon at Cape Town Stadium, with star No 8 Evan Roos and scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies taking a full part in the session after missing the last few games with rib injuries.
Roos is likely to be reunited with Hacjivah Dayimani and Deon Fourie in what was an outstanding loose trio in the triumphant United Rugby Championship campaign last season, and his explosive ball-carrying ability will come in handy against a powerful Clermont pack.
Dobson did agree that he does have a bit of a selection headache for tomorrow’s match, but considering their formation at training, it appears as if youngster Kade Wolhuter will be named at flyhalf when the team is announced today, in the absence of the concussed Manie Libbok.
That means Springbok star Damian Willemse will continue at fullback, with SA Under-20 captain Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu set to be among the reserves, while Jantjies could wear the No 9 jersey as Paul de Wet also sustained a concussion in last week’s victory over London Irish.
“It’s uncharted waters and one training day after a trip, and trying to integrate new players … I can’t fault the players for their energy, as we’ve done the best we can under the circumstances,” Dobson said.
“What people don’t realise is that this year, we’ve had five Springboks unavailable through injury, and to have Evan back, Hersch (Jantjies) back, Kade is a guy we want to bring through …
“We would have liked to have had more time on the training field, but there is so much competition for places. Just with our flyhalf options, even without Manie, we’ve got Kade, Sacha, Jean-Luc (du Plessis), Damian – that’s extraordinary – and everywhere, there seems to be depth developing.”
@AshfakMohamed