Africa-Press – South-Africa. Stormers coach John Dobson said he had “mixed feelings” following his side’s 22-22 draw against Leinster in what he described as “insane” Dublin conditions on Friday night.
The defending URC champions led 17-0 in the first half with the wind at their backs, but could not adequately deal with the elements in the second period as Leinster roared back.
It took a late try from Clayton Blommetjies against the run of play to rescue a draw for the Stormers.
While the result might be a case of what could have been for the Stormers, they are the first side this season to avoid defeat against table-topping Leinster.
Heading into this match, Leinster had played 15 and won 15 in the URC this season, and that is a clear indication for Dobson that his side is moving in the right direction.
The Stormers remain in second spot on the log (61 points, 13 behind Leinster) as they look to secure home advantage for both the quarter-finals and the semi-finals.
Dobson praised the character of his side in coming back when defeat looked almost inevitable, but he was scathing of their poor execution – particularly in their tactical kicking – in the second half.
“At 22-17 down with 14 men, we were probably looking at getting nothing out of the game, so the way we fought back was pleasing,” said Dobson after the match.
“We’re very disappointed with our start to the second half.
“I don’t know how much you could see on TV, but the conditions were really tough. It was Galway-like with that wind and rain, and it was tricky because the whole week, the weather was fine.
“It was horizontal rain coming through. Obviously these guys, by being here, get used to it more. But we still had a message at half-time that we didn’t apply, which was frustrating.”
Never a man to make excuses, Dobson quickly shifted the focus back to his players.
“I thought we were very poor at kicking contestables into the wind, so I’m disappointed with how we played tactically in the second half,” he said.
“It was a game of real intensity with two quality teams going at each other. Mixed feelings. We were under the pump for large parts of that second half.
“When they scored their fourth try and we had 14 men, I thought we might be done. The wind was just insane and we were trapped, but the character was brilliant to come back from there and that’s the best thing about this team.
“A draw was a reasonably fair result, but I’m just disappointed with the way we played into the wind.
“If we want to be top of the table in the URC, then we have to learn how to win in the northern hemisphere, and I think this is probably more of a step forward than a backward one.”
The Stormers are next in action on 1 April when they host Harlequins at DHL Stadium in the last 16 of the European Champions Cup.
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