While the DHL Stormers are still on track to defend their Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) title, plenty of work lies ahead for the Cape Town-based team, which will go into this weekend’s semi-final cautiously optimistic about retaining the silverware.
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Two victories still stand between them and claiming the spoils, starting with their outing against Connacht on Saturday afternoon.
All eyes will be on Cape Town Stadium this weekend following the home team’s emphatic 33-21 victory over the Bulls on Saturday.
This result marked the Cape franchise’s sixth consecutive win in the Vodacom URC against their rivals from Pretoria.
The running by Manie Libbok ?
The hands by the Stormers ?
The try by Hacjivah Dayimani ?Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/K2OyHau2V7
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) May 6, 2023
The Stormers completed the group round-robin stage of the competition with 12 wins in 18 fixtures, leaving them in third position on the log going into the play-offs.
Their latest win against the Bulls saw them guarantee a home game for their second play-off fixture, scheduled against their Irish counterparts this weekend.
In contrast, Connacht limped into the play-offs in seventh place on the log, with 10 wins in regular competition, before managing to upset Ulster at home with a 15-10 victory in their quarter-final.
This win demonstrated the Irish team’s ability to perform on the road, something that the Capetonians will need to take cognisance of going into the weekend.
While their demise in the final four would come as another upset, the Stormers won’t want to leave anything to chance and will be well aware of what is at stake.
With home ground advantage in the final going to the team that finished with the most log points, even the most substantial victory over Connacht is no guarantee that the final will take place in Cape Town.
After only two losses this season, Leinster topped the log going into the quarters and have been in exceptional form, giving them every reason to go into their outing against Munster with a great deal of confidence.
Should the Stormers beat Connacht, they will certainly be rooting for the underdog in the second semi in order to give themselves a home final berth.
"The media and everyone will be backing The Stormers"
Finlay Bealham chats @THESTORMERS who look to defend their title in front of their home crowd ??#ConnachtRugby pic.twitter.com/sMF00oLkQ3
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) May 9, 2023
In the interim, Stormers’ coach John Dobson is expecting no favours from giant-slaying Ireland minnows Connacht.
‘We were chatting about Connacht a couple of weeks ago and it’s similar to what we say about ourselves. As [Seabelo] Senatla says, they’ve got ‘dawg’ in them and they have.’
‘They won seven in a row. There is something there that is worrying: the way they fight, and their attack shape is really good. Connacht have a great story, from a windy greyhound track in the far west with the smallest budget [in Ireland]. They don’t go away. They will be tougher than we think.’
‘When you play in the semi-final, no matter who you play, it’s going to be a very good team. They are tough opposition, but we can feel confident. With respect to Connacht, a team that has crossed the equator is useful opposition, compared to a team that has travelled from upcountry.’
‘We prepared and trained really well this week. This felt like the most pressure we have had so far. It feels like now we can get back into the groove.’
‘If we as defending champions had slipped up in the quarter-finals, it would have undone a lot of the good work we had done over the last year. Now I feel the pressure is off, so let’s see what happens.’
Saturday’s kick-off at Cape Town Stadium will be at 4:30pm with the second semi-final starting between Leinster and Munster at the Aviva Stadium at 6:30pm.
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Picture: Backpagepix