Stormers' frank admission despite win over 'Leinster B'
The objective of reaching the United Rugby Championship Final Eight has been accompanied by a sense of disappointment for Stormers head coach John Dobson.
The Stormers booked their place in the playoffs with a hard-fought 20-13 win over log-leaders Leinster.
Despite the victory, the Capetonians failed to secure a bonus point and dropped from second to fourth on the log, tied with Munster and the Sharks on 56 points.
Dobson’s men are still in contention for a home quarter-final and possibly place in next season’s Champions Cup.
Leinster will go home the happiest, missing some key players like Johny Sexton, the Irish giants secured a losing bonus point and will conclude the season on top of the table.
Speaking to reporters, Dobson made a very honest admission after his team failed to score a fourth try for the full house of points.
“There is a feeling of anti-climax,” Dobson said, adding: “A coach, I think it was Tony Booth [of Ospreys], told me earlier in the season that the best team in the competition is Leinster, and the second-best team is Leinster B, and I don’t think he was joking.
“But my disappointment is not about that, it is about some of the errors we made. Whether that was discipline or at the lineout, we could have got the fourth try.
“I have to say, I’m not disappointed with the performance or effort, we knew we were going to be in for a hard game, but some of the penalties we conceded were just [silly] – think there is where the anti-climatic feel comes in.
“And the other disappointment stems from our own standards.
“I think it’s quite a good reflection on this group that has just played Leinster and feeling like we are walking in after a loss.”
The coach also admitted that he made a calamitous mistake by overemphasising the importance of the game and placing ‘unhealthy’ pressure on his charges.
“From my side, I think I made a bit of a coaching error, about it being a high-stakes game, those were literally the opening words when I spoke to the team on Saturday. I am not sure transferring that sort of pressure is healthy,”he said.
“My concern as a coach was that they were going to think it is Leinster B and anybody who has watched them over the years would know that they mix and match their teams beautifully.
“I was trying to put pressure on the guys to make sure they realise they are not playing a B side. We felt that pressure and maybe I felt it. We had a lot to lose and not much to win and I think it reflected in the performance.”
However, the coach was not all doom and gloom and managed to find some positives ahead of their last league match against Scarlets on May 21.
“Compared to where we were, this has been an amazing turnaround for us,” Dobson admitted.
“We are in a position where we are going into the final round tied in the second position.
“Yes, some are ahead on points difference, but it doesn’t change what we have to do in the last game. If we go to Scarlets and get five points we should finish second.
“So in that sense, I am happy.”
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Spot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
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