Coach John Dobson insists the Stormers won't overlook the threat posed by an upgraded Ospreys outfit when the teams clash in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon. DYLAN JACK reports.
Coach John Dobson insists the Stormers won’t overlook the threat posed by an upgraded Ospreys outfit when the teams clash in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon.The Stormers go into Saturday’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship match looking to build on a thrilling win over Ulster at Cape Town Stadium, which kept them on top of the South African shield and in sixth place on the table.
Although nothing has been officially confirmed, the Ospreys are rumoured to be expecting a couple of big names back for the clash, including Welsh Test flyhalf Gareth Anscombe. Sitting in ninth place, six points behind the Sharks, Ospreys will also know that getting a win on Saturday is vital to keeping their fading playoff hopes alive.
“That has been my concern is that we don’t appreciate how good the Ospreys are. They are the top Welsh franchise. They are big and direct. If you throw in an Adam Beard or a Gareth Anscombe [into the team that faced the Lions], it’s a proper rugby team. “As a group and a team, we are very well aware of their threats. We know at Ellis Park the score – I wouldn’t say it flattered the Lions – but it got away from the Ospreys at the end and they stuck in that fight for a long time.After having a proper period to look back on the narrow win over Ulster, where the Stormers spent a good chunk of the second 40 playing out of their own half, Dobson said that the nature of the performance owed itself to his team’s poor execution.