The Stormers will have to regroup ahead of their URC quarter-final against Cardiff at Cape Town Stadium on May 30.
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Despite securing a coveted home quarter-final in the United Rugby Championship (URC), the Stormers head into the play-offs with more questions than answers after an underwhelming finish to the regular season.
John Dobson’s side sealed third place on the log with 60 points, and the right to host a quarter-final at Cape Town Stadium, but recent performances have lacked the fluency and physical dominance that made them one of the competition’s most dangerous teams.
Last weekend’s dramatic 38-38 draw with Ulster was followed by Friday night’s 22-16 defeat to Cardiff. Both displays exposed worrying inconsistencies on both sides of the ball.
The attacking rhythm and defensive edge that defined their 2022 title-winning run – and the form that carried them through an unbeaten opening eight matches this season – has faded in recent weeks.
Their forward pack, traditionally a major weapon, has struggled to impose itself consistently, while injuries to key players such as skipper Deon Fourie have disrupted continuity at a crucial stage of the campaign.
Defensively, the Stormers have looked vulnerable out wide and around the fringes, with opponents repeatedly generating momentum through quick ball and direct carries. Cardfiff exploited those weaknesses effectively and are likely to target them again when the sides meet in the quarter-final on May 30.
The Welsh side shaded the ruck battle and the statistic for number of defenders beaten, while the Stormers failed to capitalise on their superior number of line breaks and will need to work on both areas.
“It was our first URC away loss this year outside the country, and a very disappointing one at the wrong time,” Dobson admitted afterwards.
However, there is still the belief that the Stormers can raise their intensity when knockout rugby arrives. Their squad contains significant play-off experience and few teams in the URC can match the atmosphere generated in Cape Town.
“We know what’s in this group and we will rebuild and regroup quickly,” Dobson said.
Much will depend on whether players such as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian Willemse and Evan Roos can rediscover top form, and the team can rediscover their attacking cohesion.
The Stormers remain contenders, but right now they hardly look like champions-in-waiting.