The DHL Stormers happily accepted Connacht’s gift of a Vodacom URC home semi-final
in Cape Town but the defending champions won’t be returning any favours as they
continue their ruthless streak at the DHL Stadium.
It
has been coach John Dobson's mantra that his squad is all about making Cape
Town smile over the past two seasons and Cape Town rugby fans have not only
been smiling but they have been spending on match tickets.
A
week ago, the DHL Stormers supporters ensured a DHL Stadium record crowd of 44
100 watched the hosts beat arch-rivals, the Vodacom Bulls, for the sixth
successive time in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, to advance to a home semi-final, that a
week previously seemed unlikely with Ulster hosting Connacht in Belfast.
Connacht
provided a shock result with a dogged 15-10 win on a Friday evening when most
rugby supporters in Cape Town tuned in, wore green and did a quick google
search on where Galway was situated in Ireland.
When
the final whistle blew in Belfast, there were as many screams of delight in
Cape Town as there were in Galway.
Were
it not for an incredible effort from fellow semi-finalists Munster in round 17,
the DHL Stormers would have been going into Saturday’s semi-final looking to
extend their winning streak at the DHL Stadium to 19 successive wins. The DHL
Stormers had also won two matches in Stellenbosch and took a home match to
Gqeberha. They won all three matches and in the history of the Vodacom URC they have lost
just eight times in 40 matches.
Munster,
in Cape Town, was a defeat that hurt but it was thoroughly deserved for the
visitors. It will take a similarly massive effort from Connacht to beat the DHL
Stormers on Cape Town's Atlantic Coast.
The
DHL Stormers draw plenty of energy from the blue-and-white wall that encircles
the DHL Stadium pitch on match days. “We
had a bit of a tough one with the Montpellier versus Exeter game and not being
able to host a Heineken Cup quarter-final here,” said DHL Stormers head coach
John Dobson. “The
Ulster result in the last league round knocked us down to third on points
difference. So it’s nice to have one in your favour. To be able to do this
again, a play-off at home, is so special for us.” However,
Dobson is not taking anything for granted against a Connacht side that has
shown time and again their ability to punch well above their weight. “They
are tough opposition. With respect to Connacht, a team that has crossed the
equator is more preferable opposition rather than somebody flying down
from up country or Durban,” said Dobson. “We
can feel confident, but that confidence must not be interpreted as arrogance.
We have massive respect for the culture and team ethos of Connacht. They fight,
and their attack shape is really good. The way they took Ulster apart at the
breakdown was good. “Like
Seabelo (Senatla) always says, ‘we got dog’; they have that ‘dog’ in them.
Connacht is a great story, to do what they are doing with the smallest budget.
They are a team that does not go away, and Ulster experienced that, as have
other teams. They have a helluva lot of mongrel in them.” DHL
Stormers assistant coach Dawie Snyman emphasised that the hosts are preparing
for a heavyweight arm-wrestle. “They
are a tough team, we realised that when we played them in Galway last year.
They are a quality side, well-coached and they have experienced players in the
Irish setup. “Connacht
are a team we won't take lightly. That game in the first round was tight until
the red card and they still came back. They fight for everything. They
fight for every ball, every ruck and you can see they're playing for each other
on the field. "That
makes them quite a threat, but we've got our own character and we're a strong
team." Whatever the result, both teams will know they have been in a dog
fight.
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