Dobbo ‘expecting something special’

Coach John Dobson says the Stormers’ rapidly expanding squad depth gives them the confidence to go all-out in their Investec Champions Cup opener against Bayonne on Friday night. LINDIZ VAN ZILLA reports.

Dobson has handed debuts to loosehead prop Ntuthuko “Tuks” Mchunu and hooker Lukhanyo “Boepa” Vokozela, reinforcing his belief that the pack has evolved to a point where the Stormers can compete seriously in both the Vodacom URC and the Champions Cup – something which had proven beyond them in the past.

Looking at the loosehead stocks, Dobson said: “We are very pleased with the roster. We’ve been so impressed with Tuks through the whole pre-season. He was meant to play last week before the Bok call-up, and he absolutely deserves this opportunity.

“And with Boepa … you can’t knock on a player’s door six months in if he hasn’t played. He’s trained brilliantly and we want to integrate him properly.

“Besides Ntuthuko, we have Oli [Kebble], Ali [Vermaak] and Vernon [Matongo] in there which is so good for us. We need to build this towards having a couple of packs and real depth in those positions.”

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Dobson said the forward group is now strong enough to field multiple high-level combinations.

“If we only had 12 forwards who could compete at this level, then no – we couldn’t really target both competitions. But I think we’ve got 20 who can do it. That gives us the confidence to genuinely have a go in Europe.”

Six wins from their opening six URC matches has also taken the pressure off and Dobson and Stormers skipper Salmaan Moerat says the team is looking forward to the challenge of the Champions Cup. The Stormers play Bayonne at the Stade Jean Dauger before taking on La Rochelle in Gqeberha next weekend.

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Moerat, set for his 50th Stormers appearance, echoed the coach’s belief that squad depth has unlocked a new mindset.

“We’re a young group but the guys are hungry,” Moerat said. “Last week was great, but this is a completely different challenge. The boys are really excited – we want to prove a point here.”

The pair admitted that while the squad may not have the galaxy of stars of years gone by, the team ethic has improved as a result due to the strong and close-knit bond among the squad.

The Stormers arrived in France off a short turnaround but parked the impressive come-from-behind Munster win almost immediately.

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“We moved on incredibly fast,” Dobson explained. “We arrived in Bayonne on Sunday night and because of the very tight turnaround, we went straight into Bayonne prep. The players didn’t want this to be a ‘spin and win’ – they wanted to go for it properly.”

Dobson also emphasised how invaluable the French experience will be, especially for the less seasoned forwards.

“Even if something goes wrong tomorrow night, we’ll come back a better group. But honestly, I’m expecting something special. This team never fails to deliver.”

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Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images