John Dobson, Stormers director of rugby, feels the Stormers don’t feel like underdogs in their first away United Rugby Championship quarterfinal against Glasgow Warriors in Scotstoun even though the stats favour the home side.
“We looked at the URC win predictor. Glasgow are 78% to win and we are 22%, which we certainly don’t feel,” Dobson said.
“I suppose we are underdogs because teams generally win their playoffs at home.
“But we don’t feel like Glasgow are have four times as much of a chance of winning than we have. We are comfortable and in a really good space. I don’t think we are playing any attention to that.
“We will be bitterly disappointed if our journey finishes tomorrow. Despite all the disruptions of the week, injuries to Deon (Fourie) and Damian (Willemse), plus Evan Roos, there is a really excited feeling in this camp.”
“It is a palpably big loss. The way he’s playing, carrying and the work he is doing, his involvement has gone through the roof. The switch to number six has been good for him. He’s been really disciplined despite the provocation. That was one of the flash points here last November, when Evan was yellow carded.
With Roos out Dobson feels it opens up an opportunity for Engelbrecht who brings something completely different in his approach.
“Willie is different. He has got enormous stopping power. He is a hard tackler. That’s a big factor on the 4G pitch, to take away the opposition momentum. He’s really good at cleaning breakdowns. So while he’s not a classic ball-stealer, he can cause chaos.
“We are happy to have Willie’s physical presence. It’s been a tough season for him. It hasn’t all gone his way [in terms of game time] because the team has been under pressure. It’s nice for him to have an opportunity.
“If we get the Willie who played in the Currie Cup final for the Pumas a couple of years ago, we won’t feel the loss of Evan Roos.”
