John Dobson: Stormers will ‘have to spin and win’ in ‘crucial’ area to beat ‘glitterati’ Toulon side
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson (inset) and his players ahead of a game.
John Dobson believes the stars will have to align for his team to get the better of Toulon in their round-of-16 Investec Champions Cup clash at Stade Felix Mayol on Saturday.
Although the men from the Cape currently occupy second position in the United Rugby Championship (URC) standings, while Toulon are languishing in 11th spot in the Top 14 table, Dobson is not underestimating their opponents, who he feels will be favourites on their home turf.
Despite playing away from home and trying to downplay their chances against the French heavyweights, who won this tournament three years in a row between 2013 and 2015, the Stormers director of rugby said his side will not be lacking any motivation to win the eagerly anticipated play-off encounter.
‘We want to go as far as we can’
“We want to respect this competition, and we want to go as far as we can,” he said. “No South African team has made a semi-final, so that’s something we’re very aware of.”
After some indifferent form in the URC earlier this year, the Stormers head into this weekend’s match after successive victories against the Bulls, Dragons and Edinburgh.
Dobson also believes they stand a better chance of advancing to the quarter-finals as his squad depth is much better than in previous seasons.
“A couple of years ago, we probably wouldn’t have had the capacity,” he added. “Now, despite some injuries, I feel like we’ve got a bit more ability to go full-out for this.
“It’s a really good Toulon team, something of a glitterati.
“They’ve got a strong scrum, and they’re very fast. Their speed across the park caught us when we played them before. But travelling to the south of France will be a wonderful experience for us.
“It’ll be a part of our growth. We’ll give it a full crack.”
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Dobson highlighted the importance of the set-piece battle, particularly the scrums, if his side want to emerge victorious this weekend.
‘Our set-piece will be crucial’
“What will it take us to win? Venus to align with Uranus and Saturn!” he said jokingly. “But seriously, our set-piece will be crucial.
“We pride ourselves on our scrum, but they have one of the best in France. I don’t think we’re going to grind them down with their pack that size.
“They win every scrum battle. I think they’re No 2 in France. We are going to have to spin and win.
“The contestable kicking game could also be an area we can use. But we’re going to have to get into that transition to play with a bit of freedom.”