Dobbo, Ruhan reflect on ‘greasy’ win

Head coach John Dobson and captain Ruhan Nel spoke about the Stormers' handling mistakes and defense during Saturday's bonus-point win against Ulster at Cape Town Stadium. The Stormers beat Ulster 33-7 in round five of the URC, marking their fourth consecutive home bonus-point victory across all competitions.

Yaqeen Ahmed scored a try and kicked four conversions, contributing to the Stormers' five-try triumph. Handling errors in the early stages of the game led to Ulster's first score through David McCann's converted try. Keynan Knox was sin-binned, allowing the Stormers to capitalize on their superior set-piece play.

Dobson highlighted the team's struggle with offloads, stating, "We were on 14 knock-ons at half-time, which is just a staggering statistic." He explained that the team resolved to minimize offloads and that Ntuks' mistake led to a try. Nel noted that the players tended to run away from the player making the break, and the early kick-off of 2:45pm was a first for them at the stadium this season.

He explained that the heat made the ball greasy, affecting the accuracy of passes. Nel suggested adjusting the strategy in the second half, focusing more on the ball and avoiding long passes. On the Ulstermen's inability to score after halftime, Nel emphasized the importance of maintaining strong defense, even when facing pressure and scrambling to apply pressure again.

Nel expressed his happiness with the team's performance, stating, "I'm very happy that we only conceded one try there."