An ex-Springboks captain pinpoints the main causes of the Stormers’ subpar performance.
Both of John Dobson’s teams’ URC finals—which took place in Cape Town—saw them emerge victorious in 2022 and again as runners-up to Munster in 2023.
The Stormers are now sixth in the standings and are fighting to finish in the top four to earn a home quarterfinal, thus it is quite doubtful that there will be a third URC final in the city this year. For the Ospreys’ game last week in Cape Town, Dobson made some surprising alterations to his starting lineup, and the outcome was a 27-21 loss for the home team.
“You should never undervalue anyone.”
Krige stated during a URC online roundtable that “there was quite a bit of a backlash on that.” It goes without saying that everyone was devastated by the outcome, but in the BKT URC, you can never undervalue anyone.
“We didn’t play well that day, but I don’t think we underestimated them. We made a lot of errors and knock-ons and failed to keep the ball in play. “We always try to toss the ball about and have a fun game. We enjoy messy, open games because they present opportunity.
Nevertheless, we were unable to group any phases together due to the disarray. “It disappoints me as a Stormers fan because they couldn’t do the fundamentals correctly.
However, you can only play to the extent that you are permitted to. The Stormers can scarcely afford to lose to Leinster, who are atop the table and lost to the Lions in Johannesburg last week, again this coming Saturday.
Former Springbok captain supports SHOCK as Siya Kolisi’s replacement. Krige anticipates an interesting match between the Stormers and the Irish province, as both sides are eager to get back to winning ways.
“There’s no doubt that it will be an excellent match,” the 39-cap Springbok stated. “I believe that Leinster will be in pain following that significant Lions defeat. Even if they didn’t put their first team out there, that truly caught me off guard.
During their current URC campaign, the Stormers have lost six of their 14 league games, and Krige thinks there are a few key factors that have contributed to that.
“I believe a significant portion of our team’s experience was lost with the departure of Steven Kitshoff. The 49-year-old remarked, “He is an amazing leader.
And now everyone is aware of our style of play. Since no one expected anything from them, they won the BKT URC in their debut year. To be honest, no one really knew anything about our style of play.
We simply pass the ball about in the back after maintaining parity up front. Backing the Stormers to reach third final Despite his former team’s erratic play, Krige believes they can make it to their third consecutive URC final. “They are still in the mix. They are right in there, still top six,” he said. “They are a very dangerous team. You can never underestimate them. They are very resilient and they have an incredible coach who knows how to motivate them. But it’s going to be tough if they don’t get in the final.”