Rhythm on attack key for the Stormers

STORMERS coach John Dobson says they have no excuse not to get some rhythm on attack when they face the Blues on a dry Newlands pitch on Saturday (3.05pm kickoff).

The Stormers beat the Jaguares 17-7 in slippery conditions in Cape Town at the weekend, and it was a performance which Dobson afterwards said he was pleased with compared to their outing against the Lions at Ellis Park.

Getting that rhythm going has been a focus for the Stormers this season, something they haven’t always gotten right, and it will continue to be against the New Zealanders, who edged the Bulls 23-21 at Loftus on Saturday evening.

“The Bulls game was hard to read given the conditions, so we don’t know what to expect, you don’t know how things are going to play out at a dry Newlands. We have no excuse not to get some rhythm going on attack,” Dobson said.

Dobson also discussed what he is expecting the “unusual” Blues to bring.

“For us the big threat there is some of those big-carrying forwards. The way they pick and go is really effective. And those backs are physical hey,” he said. “They’re physical and they’re quite unpredictable, if you know what I mean. You can workout the Hurricanes’ and the Jaguares’ shape pretty easily, the Blues are different.

“This is unusual... they’re physical, but they’re quite off the cuff as well. It is a challenge for us, we haven’t played a team like this.

Every team that has faced the Stormers at Newlands this season has spoken about what playing at the stadium means to them.

With this being the Stormers’ last year at Newlands, they of course have even more reason to want to make this one of their best seasons yet.

It’s a factor, no doubt, one Dobson says means more to the players than he had thought.

“This game has got all the ingredients of what we want. This team is enjoying each other and they’re playing at Newlands. I didn’t realise the meaning of Newlands for these players, I thought it was just in my era and above. And playing here against New Zealand opposition is fantastic.”