Stormers' humiliating exit: Dobson reflects on painful defeat
The Stormers went down humiliating fashion against the defending champion Glasgow Warriors in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship quarterfinal at Scotstoun on Friday night.
The defending champions Glasgow beat the Stormers 36-18, eliminating the Cape side at the quarter-final stage for the second consecutive season. It was a disappointing end to the campaign for the Stormers, who endured a frustrating evening in Glasgow.
The Stormers started brightly with a penalty from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, but momentum shifted quickly after captain Salmaan Moerat departed for a head injury assessment and Seabelo Senatla was shown a yellow card. Glasgow capitalised with tries from Rory Darge and Kyle Rowe. Senatla hit back with a try of his own, but Henco Venter's score gave the hosts a 19-13 lead at halftime.
Senatla's second try early in the second half briefly narrowed the gap, but Glasgow surged ahead with Rowe's brace and a solo try from George Horne, who also slotted a penalty to seal the win.
Apart from the team's elimination, the result also marked the final appearance for a number of Stormers stalwarts, including Joseph Dweba, Herschel Jantjies, Ben Loader, Paul de Wet, and Dave Ewers. Manie Libbok, meanwhile, has been linked with an overseas sabbatical.
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson reflected on a tough night in Scotland and an emotional farewell to several senior players.
'It's sitting pretty tough in the throat emotionally,' Dobson said post-match. 'We didn't plan to be done this weekend. That changing room is like an American Civil War tent. The guys are really distraught, and it's not the way I wanted to say goodbye to players who've given us so much.'
Dobson praised the Stormers players' effort, he admitted the defeat was 'probably our worst performance in a couple of years', crediting a drop in key areas.
'We weren't winning the gainline, made too many mistakes, and our kicking was inaccurate. Glasgow punished us. Our lineout success dropped, tackle completion was poor—it was a rough night.'
Still, the Stormers boss found positives in the performance of Senatla and the scrummaging effort, as well as signs of promise from the next generation. 'Our scrum and some youngsters were silver linings. Players like Paul de Villiers will grow from this. The depth we've built gives me a lot of reason for optimism,' he added.
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