John Dobson: ‘Frustrated’ Stormers ‘have to take responsibility’ for Edinburgh loss which leaves them bottom of URC table
The Stormers will turn their focus to their upcoming matches in the United Rugby Championship (URC) after they finished their overseas tour with a humiliating loss against Edinburgh.
The men from the Cape were on the wrong end of a 36-7 result at Hive Stadium which means they have lost two of their three matches on their European tour – after also losing their URC opener to the Ospreys – with their only victory registered against Zebre Parma last weekend.
Defeat means they drop to the bottom of the table
As the scoreline suggests, Edinburgh were deserved winners as they outscored their visitors five tries to one and the Stormers‘ latest defeat means they are firmly rooted to the bottom of the URC table.
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson said that although their latest defeat leaves them frustrated, he is confident they can get their campaign on track in Cape Town.
“The next two games are important,” he said. “We’ve got the 2023 champions Munster and last year’s champions Glasgow Warriors. If we can get our fizz back at home, we will be ok for the rest of the season.
“While we only got one win from three on tour, it doesn’t feel like last season. The key for us is the next two home games.
Edinburgh bounce back in style as they thump Stormers to move off bottom spot
“If we can get those next two, we will be alive and kicking. There is a little bit of pressure in that respect, but it doesn’t feel like last year.”
The Stormers’ discipline let them down badly as they conceded a whopping 15 penalties in the match and Dobson admitted that they were the architects of their own downfall.
‘We were under pressure at the start’
“We made too many mistakes,” he said. “We got into chase mode and that hurt us. We were under pressure at the start.
“There was one period just before their first try where we conceded five penalties in a row. Our discipline put us under pressure.
“After Edinburgh’s second try, I thought we were good for a long period. I was confident at half time. But when the score got to 21-7, we really started chasing and that’s where we were at our poorest. We got frustrated. We have to take responsibility.”
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