Stormers coach John Dobson says he has selected a team to break down the best defence in the Vodacom URC.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s match against Irish club Connacht at Cape Town Stadium, Dobson said the Stormers had a “lot of respect” for a “proper rugby team”.
“They may not have the brand of [Irish giants] Leinster or Munster, but they are a seriously good rugby side. They’ve got a very good attack and they never go away.”
The Stormers boss pointed to last season’s clash as a warning, when Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored a hat-trick inside 25 minutes, only for Connacht to fight back.
“That game went down to the last minute,” Dobson said. “We don’t want to be in that position again. They’re a proper rugby team and every time we play them, it’s a proper contest.”
TEAM: Sacha back at 10 for Stormers
Both Dobson and captain Ruhan Nel pointed to Connacht’s much improved defence, which sees them top the URC stats with just 306 missed tackles from a total of 2,540 (81% success rate).
“They’ve got the No 1 defence in the URC,” said the Stormers captain.
Dobson admitted that Connacht’s defensive strength directly influenced selection, with attacking threats picked to break down Connacht’s structure.
The Stormers have recalled Feinberg-Mngomezulu at flyhalf and retained Damian Willemse on the right wing and Warrick Gelant at fullback as part of a strong attack-minded side.
“The way they work on defence, the way they get the spacing in their organisation, it’s not a defence where you can just hit one breakdown, get quick ball, get it out wide and get around,” said Dobson.
“It’s not like that at all. You’re going to have to find ways through them, or over them, and so that was a big influence on selection.”
Dobson added that the grim weather outlook also influenced team selection.
KEO: These Stormers don’t do blowouts
Connacht lie ninth on the URC log, a single point behind the Vodacom Bulls in eighth – the final playoff spot.
Coached by Stuart Lancaster, they suffered a 45-22 defeat to Montpellier in their EPCR Challenge Cup quarter-final last week.
However, prior to that loss, Connacht had won five in a row in the URC, including a statement 15-10 win over log leaders the Glasgow Warriors.
MORE: Stormers target top spot, crowd record
Photo: Gallo Images
The post Stormers aim to breach URC’s best defence appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
