The Stormers are expecting to face a fired up Bristol Bears team in their Champions Cup opener this coming weekend.
Stormers Directors of Rugby John Dobson (centre) is preparing his team for a tough clash against English Premiership side Bristol Bears in Cape Town on Saturday. Picture: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
The Stormers are expecting a massive challenge from a full-strength Bristol Bears team when the sides collide in their Champions Cup opener at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It should be an entertaining encounter between two teams in similar form, with both having picked up two wins and one loss so far in their respective competitions.
Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson believes Bristol will bring their best possible team, after they played a weakened side in their last game against Saracens, and also knows coach Pat Lam well, and is aware of the challenge they will bring.
“They’re a team that can turn it on. I know Pat Lam, who I coached with at the Barbarians. He’ll want to have a crack at us. They came here and won at Loftus (a high scoring 61-49 result last season), which is not an easy place to go,” explained Dobson.
“They’ve always been a deep attacking team, but I’m seeing more dog in their defence, a lot more competition at the breakdown, and a lot more direct in the 22m than maybe they were a while ago with the pick-and-gos.
“Their maul is the best in the Premiership at the moment, which is not something we associate with Bristol. They’re going to keep our diaries full, especially defensively.”
Early team
The Stormers surprisingly named their team for the match on Tuesday, well before the official scheduled time of Friday afternoon, with Dobson saying it wasn’t about them following in the Springboks’ footsteps, but was about drumming up local support for the match.
“It’s not like we are trying to copy the Springboks, who announce early to get it out of the way and to let their opponents know they are comfortable with what they have, which is a good strategy,” said Dobson.
“Rather we have announced early to help create a buzz and drum up interest, we want to respect the fans by letting them know who is playing in this game.
“It will make a difference to people who are deciding what to do on Saturday afternoon to know that if they come to watch us they will be seeing players like Deon Fourie, Siya Kolisi and Ruhan Nel in action. Doing it early is more considerate to the public.
“It was such a special occasion last weekend (URC derby against the Sharks in the new black kit), and we want to market these events. I’ve found with team announcements now, they get out quickly anyway. It’s going to create some interest in the game and also give some confidence to our group.”
The Stormers will now look to get their Champions Cup campaign off to the best possible start, especially knowing how important home wins are in the competition.
