Africa-Press – South-Africa. While Clermont’s Marcel Michelin home ground and its “Yellow Army” of fans is an intimidating venue for visiting teams, it’s the perfect place for the Stormers to start their Champions Cup campaign on Saturday, says head coach John Dobson.
Dobson believes the clash is a chance for the Stormers to show that they are a force in franchise rugby.
“We are actually pleased to be going away to such a famous place. It is a statement game for us to show that we can sit at the top table of world club rugby,” said Dobson.
The Stormers have impressed in the United Rugby Championship this season, showing plenty of attacking flair, and it’s an approach that won’t change for the Champions Cup.
“We have had a good look at Clermont, and we feel that there is an opportunity to play the kind of rugby we have played in the first half the last two weeks [against Scarlets and Dragons], so we are going to try and be a bit more like ourselves like we should be,” he said.
Dobson says that the Stormers will have to improve their second-half display, something that has plagued them recently.
“I think we got enough out of these games to be confident. That was a really poor second half, and it leaves a bitter taste, but it doesn’t take away from some of the rugby we played before then and the log points we got,” he said.
Kick-off on Saturday is at 17:15.
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