After a heart-breaking 21-15 defeat against the Sharks in a United Rugby Championship (URC) clash on Saturday, Stormers coach John Dobson said his team is ready to rebound against Toulon in Gqeberha on Saturday.
The Stormers will come out all guns blazing when they face the French giant in a Champions Cup clash at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (kickoff 5.15pm).
The Cape side will be playing in the Eastern Cape because the DHL Stadium will host the CPT SVNS Tournament in the Mother City over the weekend.
“This result against the Sharks hasn’t changed anything for Saturday when we face Toulon in the Champions Cup,” Dobson said.
“I saw a lot that gives me hope. The Toulon game is one we will go and enjoy and play. There isn’t any pressure. The big pressure is in the URC.
“We will go and attack the Champions Cup and enjoy it. We do have to make sure that in the URC we get into the top eight.”
The Stormers had a last-gasp Manie Libbok try ruled out after the TMO spotted a knock-on from the flyhalf, which left the Cape side counting the cost of missed opportunities in Durban on Saturday.
Libbok replaced Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the 27th minute after the flyhalf suffered concussion.
The talented youngster might therefore have to sit out the next two Champions Cup games because of concussion protocols.
Having fallen behind 14-0 after 20 minutes, the Stormers fought their way back into the game, but failed to capitalise on opportunities that came their way.
“We created so many opportunities,” Dobson said.
“To be fair, the Sharks also probably bottled one or two. We were profligate and wasteful — I can name six opportunities off the top of my head. That was probably the difference in the end.”
The Stormers’ mentor is confident his team are on the right track considering Frans Malherbe and Salmaan Moerat are likely to be back in the mix soon.
“Today [Saturday] gave me hope, even though we are sitting with a defeat against the Sharks.
“We were without five or six of our Springboks. To come here and fight like we did gives me hope about the team.
“I saw a lot of our DNA out there. On other days, those aren’t going to go down like that. I feel quite confident that we can put together a proper run now, especially as those Springboks come back.”
