‘Definitely work-ons’ for Stormers
STORMERS coach John Dobson praised his replacements’ bench for the impact they brought in their 31-22 United Rugby Championship victory over the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday, and for good reason.
The defending champions returned to winning ways with a big second-half performance after trailing 22-10 at the break.
The visiting bench proved particularly lethal in the last half hour as the Stormers scored 21 unanswered points in the second 40 to stun the home team.
It was always going to be a tough challenge for the travelling side.
They went into the clash without five of their Springboks as they looked to bounce back from their first defeat in 15 outings (against Cardiff), and the fact that they played at Ellis Park just added to the pressure.
Speaking after the match, Dobson said: “In terms of the bench, we used them earlier than we usually do.
“People will say it’s tactical genius, but we were worried. We just needed to make changes.
“We just felt we didn’t have the energy we needed and those guys brought massive energy.”
The overall performance, however, was something that didn't please the Stormers boss.
The Stormers' lineout was again problematic, while their defence and discipline were far from exemplary areas.
But, given their complete turnaround in the second half, there were also positives, and Dobson acknowledged both.
“All’s well that ends well is probably a good summation of our performance.
“A lot of the processes were poor. It was probably our worst defensive performance to date in terms of giving yards ... not rolling away,” said Dobson.
“We looked absolutely disjointed. Giving away 11 penalties in the first half illustrated how awful our discipline was and the line-outs were poor throughout.
“But we do have the ability to score tries.
“There are definitely work-ons for all of us, (but) I am pleased with the outcome.
“To win at Ellis Park, you need to have energy and guys who are prepared to run, and that is what the bench was about. I do think they made a huge difference there.”