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John Dobson (Gallo Images)
- After a 39-6 win over Griquas, Stormers coach John Dobson is happy they “attacked with a little more flair.”
- Dobson says the changes he made to the team reaped rewards and the players brought the “energy” he was asking for.
- Wing Edwill van der Merwe and Lock David Meihuizen are injured before facing the Cheetahs.
Stormers coach John dobson He is pleased that his team improved their attacking performance against Griquas in Kimberley on Saturday.
The Stormers dominated throughout and ran on six attempts for a 39-6 bonus point victory.
The Cape’s men lost on the same scoreboard to the Bulls in Pretoria last weekend, and their coach called for “more energy” from their charges.
They duly obeyed in the Kimberley heat, and while they admitted it was far from a perfect performance, Dobson said it was a step in the right direction.
“We were happy to be able to attack with a little more flair. Pleased with the first half, how we controlled the territory, but we managed to combine that with a bit of pace in the attack,” Dobson said in his post-match analysis.
“I think we dropped a few tries and points overall. But it’s a more pleasant problem than not creating opportunities, as has been the case lately.”
Surprisingly, the Stormers were trapped in scrums early on, as Griquas’ opening points came after a scrum penalty.
But the Capetonians gradually took control in this department and, in addition to handling Griquas erratically, they also led the physical exchanges.
“I thought Griquas did very well in the scrums, we didn’t get our dominance that we would have liked to have there. [But] it made us work harder in attack, which may be good for us. “
Dobson made five changes before the game and said it reaped rewards.
“I thought a lot about the new guys … David Meihuizen (block), Marcel Theunissen (flank), Angelo Davids (wing), Paul de Wet (scrum half) … they brought the energy we expected from them … and I think the team played with a lot of energy and character. We were still chasing hard kicks at the end, putting pressure on the opponents. It was very nice. “
The Stormers host the Cheetahs in Newlands next weekend and Dobson said he expected a tough encounter.
“[There were] there are still too many bugs … we’ll need energy next week against a very good team of Cheetahs. But this will be great for our confidence, it has been a difficult start for us, we have been at Highveld in the heat three weeks in a row so we are really looking forward to getting to Newlands against a good team like the Cheetahs and building on this performance. “
The Stormers did not come out of the Griquas game completely unscathed, with winger Edwill van der Merwe limping early and Dobson said there were also concerns about Meihuizen blocking.
“In terms of injuries, Edwill van der Merwe will be out for a while and there is a concern around David Meihuizen, but we will scan him and see what he looks like later. Otherwise, we are all fine.”
