CAPE TOWN – Stormers head coach John Dobson has explained his side’s rotation for their Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash against the Scarlets in Stellenbosch on Saturday.
The Stormers will be looking to make two from two when they host the Welsh side in round two of the campaign.
Dobson says he has decided to tweak his team for the clash and how their approach will be.
“So definitely Ben [Loader] and Angelo [Davids] we want them to get better, get better on the field. Herschel’s [Jantjies] definitely rotated too – him being on the bench,” said Dobson.
“For Hacjivah Dayimani, that is also a rotation. Also, they’re pregnant or they’re having a baby soon and he won’t be able to make the start of the tour, so it’s best to use him while we get him.
“I don’t think we could ever be in the Stormers against the Scarlets in Cape Town to be underdogs. But exactly what you said, our challenge is to give them a tough experience based on our rugby ability and our intensity.”
Scarlets come to this match after their bad start of the South African tour, going down 63-21 to the Bulls last weekend.
But Dobson knows what to expect from them.
“The Bulls were very good last week, but to arrive in Jo’burg to play at altitude, to play in that temperature and in that bright blue stadium and maybe, you know, not having the best, the best tactical approach to that game in terms of pushing the tempo,” he said.
“It was a lot of circumstances that caused their poor performance to be as good as the Bulls were.
“I think for our case, this field today feels a bit like the Welsh Valleys, doesn’t it? It’s green and rolling hills around us and I think they’ll feel much more comfortable.
“So we have to give them, you know, a similar experience to the Bulls based on how we play. Look, we learned a lot from a lot of how good the Bulls were with their directness and that it was a useful template for us as well.”
Image: DHLStormers/ Twitter.
