Stormers Deliver Shield For The People

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   Being
crowned the South African Shield winners in the United Rugby Championship has liberated the elated DHL Stormers from a dark era in their
history.

DHL
Stormers coach John Dobson, in expressing the squad’s relief at getting the
last-minute win against Scarlets that ensured the Stormers top spot in the SA
Shield, dedicated the league season’s silverware to the people of the Western
Cape.

“Winning
the SA Shield gave us a sense of massive relief that we’ve restored some faith
and pride in the jersey,” Dobson told the United Rugby Championship. “It means a lot to us, probably more than to some other teams given the trials
and tribulations we’ve been through here.”

“Western
Province is a very proud union with a remarkable history,” said Dobson. “We
represent this amazing group of people in the Western Cape across demographics
including race, religion and working class. It’s been tough for them to see
what’s been going on here and giving them something to smile about was so
important to us.”

One
win from their first five matches, including defeats against Benetton, Dragons
and the Emirates Lions, made for gloomy headlines in Cape Town.

But
Dobson rallied his troops, some of whom had made financial sacrifices to stay
with the team, and the DHL Stormers went on a winning spree in which they lost
just one of their last 13 matches.

“We
hadn’t won a Currie Cup since 2017 and I suppose last year people were talking
about the ‘Big Two’, the Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls, which they are in
terms of spending power,” the DHL Stormers coach said.  “It’s special for
us how we did in the local derbies because we didn’t lose against the Vodacom
Bulls or Cell C Sharks. The Vodacom Bulls have won a lot of trophies, so for us
to be the top SA team is really special for us. 

“I’m
really pleased for the players who stuck with us and believed in the project -
there were big names, like Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe, Scarra Ntubeni,
Salmaan Moerat, and Damian Willemse who turned down massive offers from
elsewhere, and then some of the lesser known guys who stuck with us when they
had other offers.’

While
Dobson is pleased the DHL Stormers’ story has taken a sharp turn for the
better, the SA champions are determined to end this chapter with pages of
exciting Play-Offs prose.

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Transvaal Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 30-Mar-2016 Status: Offline Points: 39087	Post Options Post Reply Quote Transvaal Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Stormers Deliver Shield For The People Posted: 25-May-2022 at 1:04pm
	Being crowned the South African Shield winners in the United Rugby Championship has liberated the elated DHL Stormers from a dark era in their history. DHL Stormers coach John Dobson, in expressing the squad’s relief at getting the last-minute win against Scarlets that ensured the Stormers top spot in the SA Shield, dedicated the league season’s silverware to the people of the Western Cape. “Winning the SA Shield gave us a sense of massive relief that we’ve restored some faith and pride in the jersey,” Dobson told the United Rugby Championship. “It means a lot to us, probably more than to some other teams given the trials and tribulations we’ve been through here.” “Western Province is a very proud union with a remarkable history,” said Dobson. “We represent this amazing group of people in the Western Cape across demographics including race, religion and working class. It’s been tough for them to see what’s been going on here and giving them something to smile about was so important to us.” One win from their first five matches, including defeats against Benetton, Dragons and the Emirates Lions, made for gloomy headlines in Cape Town. But Dobson rallied his troops, some of whom had made financial sacrifices to stay with the team, and the DHL Stormers went on a winning spree in which they lost just one of their last 13 matches. “We hadn’t won a Currie Cup since 2017 and I suppose last year people were talking about the ‘Big Two’, the Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls, which they are in terms of spending power,” the DHL Stormers coach said. “It’s special for us how we did in the local derbies because we didn’t lose against the Vodacom Bulls or Cell C Sharks. The Vodacom Bulls have won a lot of trophies, so for us to be the top SA team is really special for us. “I’m really pleased for the players who stuck with us and believed in the project - there were big names, like Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe, Scarra Ntubeni, Salmaan Moerat, and Damian Willemse who turned down massive offers from elsewhere, and then some of the lesser known guys who stuck with us when they had other offers.’ While Dobson is pleased the DHL Stormers’ story has taken a sharp turn for the better, the SA champions are determined to end this chapter with pages of exciting Play-Offs prose.