John Dobson and Salmaan Moerat lamented the DHL Stormers’ defensive effort in opposition to Harlequins, because the injury-hit Cape outfit dug deep in Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup conflict.
Crippled by accidents to a number of frontline gamers, the Stormers went down 53-16 at Welford Street in a match that noticed French referee Ludovic Cayre dish out 4 yellow playing cards – three of them proven to the vacationers within the second half.
Trying to bounce again after a gap spherical loss to Toulon, the Stormers have been outscored eight tries to at least one in London, with two matches remaining of the pool levels of the Champions Cup.
“This was a poor efficiency by us. Two yellow playing cards final week, three this week,” Dobson stated post-match. “We satisfaction ourselves on our defence, we expect we’ve acquired among the best in world membership rugby, however Harlequins undid us. A really disappointing efficiency.
“The group we put on the market wasn’t adequate, given the depth of our squad. I feel if we got here right here full noise – Damian Willemse was out there, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, [Frans] Malherbe and [Steven] Kitshoff, two of the world’s finest props… It’s simply poor timing.
“What we do find out about this match, and we have been reminded of it tonight, is it’s a step up – it’s one other world. I feel we as South Africans are so used to only seeing ‘membership’ and don’t realise it’s one other stage.
“Can’t actually decide us by the previous few years; we’ve acquired groups into the quarter-finals after which we acquired hammered. However we’re eager to get there.”
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Dobson turned to younger expertise for Saturday’s match, and the director of rugby praised the efforts of debutants Vernon Matongo and Jonathan Roche together with Sazi Sandi, Connor Evans and Louw Nel.
The latter duo, nevertheless, are damage issues – Evans is nursing an ankle drawback whereas Nel pulled a hamstring.
“I believed the brand new guys who haven’t performed a lot for the Stormers… Vernon Matongo was very good, Louw Nel was actually good,” Dobson stated.
“Johnny Roche when he got here on debut… these guys took their alternatives rather well. Connor was good, Sazi was significantly better. It was a curious recreation, I don’t assume any of these guys performed significantly poorly however we acquired nicely crushed.
“We’d’ve preferred to have competed extra and for the scoreline to be higher, and I feel we may’ve if a pair issues had gone our manner, however we’ve acquired to take a look at ourselves.”
Skipper Moerat added: “For these first half-hour we actually did nicely and have been within the recreation, nevertheless it was simply lapses in focus. And our fundamental one-on-on tackling allow them to again into the sport. On the finish of the day it’s going to be very onerous chasing a recreation like that.
“And within the second half, lapses in focus once more. Then the momentum is with them, and the 50-50 calls will go their manner as nicely. It was actually robust.
“However these first half-hour is basically the potential this group has, and if we will pull it collectively for longer intervals we’ll be good for it.”
Picture: Alex Davidson/Getty Photographs
