The Stormers believe they are now firmly back in the mix to make another charge for a United Rugby Championship (URC) title.
🙌 One for the books! See you back at DHL Stadium for the next one.#iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/LbOHUYZGFr
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) December 29, 2024
After claiming a bonus point 24-20 win over the Sharks on Saturday at the DHL Stadium, the Cape outfit find themselves within reaching distance of the top eight teams in the tournament.
Thanks to two wins in the local derbies against the Sharks and Lions at home, the inaugural URC champions bagged some valuable momentum going into 2025. They will start the season year with two European Champions Cup matches, before continuing their URC campaign away against Leinster and Ulster.
It's not good news for Sacha as he is forced off early for a third consecutive game 🤕👇
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There will be some more concern over youngster Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. After recovering from a hip pointer injury sustained against the Lions, it took him only 37 minutes to leave the field against the Sharks, this time with a clavicle injury. In his last three games, he left the field before half-time.
Some good news for the side is that Bok eighthman Evan Roos, winger Leolin Zas and prop Sti Sithole will return to the field ahead of the clash with Sale Sharks on 11 January. Dobson vowed they will have a full tilt in the Champions Cup, looking to build more momentum for the rest of the URC season.
“I think we’re properly in the mix now for the URC.”
“Before the start of the local derbies, we said that we need 10 points from these last two games. I think we’re properly in the mix now for the URC,” Dobson said.
“This was the critical game. If we didn’t pull through, things woud’ve gotten tough.
“Now, we wil give it a spin in two weeks time. We are going to give that game against Sale a real crack, shackles off ... These games have been really heavy, but now we have nothing to lose. We’ll have a proper go.”
⭐️ Your @Vodacom #URC Man of the Match⭐️
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) December 28, 2024
🏅 Paul de Wet | @THESTORMERS #VodacomMOTM | #STOvSHA pic.twitter.com/e3k6ylBFx4
Should the Stormers lose in their next match, the last group stage game against Racing92 becomes academic. But, a win in Cape Town could make that French trip an interesting one.
The URC match at Leinster (Januaryb 25) ahead of the Six Nations is what the Stormers are targeting. On the Feinberg-Mngomezulu injury, Dobson said it was tough losing him again in the first half.
“When he went down (after the first tackle), we thought we made a calamitous error because we went with a six-two bench split ...”
“When he went down (after the first tackle), we thought we made a calamitous error because we went with a six-two bench split and he picked up a completely unrelated injury with his clavicle. it went out and then in.
“He wanted to keep going but I don’t think it was helpful to the team. We should’ve probably pull the trigger earlier. He wanted to push until half-time. It’s a blow for us and tough on him.”