Venter: Stormers embracing knockout pressure

Andre-Hugo Venter says the Stormers must feed off home support in Saturday’s must-win Investec Champions Cup match against the Leicester Tigers.

A 61-10 hammering from Harlequins in London means the Stormers have no room for error in a decisive Pool 3 clash at Cape Town Stadium.

“There’s always that pressure, but we want to go out and perform and secure our playoff for the round of 16,” Venter said of the knockout nature of their final pool fixture.

“We have a really good culture and and we will try our best to reach our goals. It’s about putting our best foot forward and taking control of what we can control.”

CHAMPIONS CUP POOL 3: Stormers face Tigers shootout

The only previous meeting between the sides at Welford Road in 2023 ended in a 35-26 defeat for the Stormers and Venter is hoping to make home support count.

“Playing at home makes a massive difference. The energy from the crowd gives you that extra push when it gets tough.

“If you go overseas, they always have that sense of home-ground advantage because they have smaller stadiums, so they mostly sell out. That has a huge impact on the game.”

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