Schalk Brits would rather see the DHL Stormers be inconsistent and win a trophy, than enjoy a dominant campaign that ends with the team empty-handed.
The DHL Stormers departed for Wales on Tuesday for a crucial two-match mini-tour where they will face Dragons in Newport and Connacht in Galway.
With three rounds left to play in the 2023-24 Vodacom URC, the Stormers sit in fifth place, but there are just two points separating them from ninth-placed Edinburgh.
A winless four-match tour at the beginning of the season, combined with the shock home loss to Ospreys, have put the Stormers in a tough position when it comes to securing a third consecutive home playoff.
However, while some doubts have been cast over the Stormers’ style, former hooker Brits, who spent four seasons in Cape Town, says he would take a misfiring season if it meant winning silverware.
“I would rather let them be average during the year and get to the final or the semi-final, win those two matches and win a trophy, than being great all year and not winning anything in the end,” Brits said, during an online Vodacom URC roundtable with the media.
“For me, what Dobbo (Dobson) has done is almost like what the Springboks have created, about their game being bigger than just winning a rugby match. It’s like, sort of, making Cape Town great and proud again, about bringing happiness to Cape Town and surrounds. From that perspective, the players are having a good time.”
Brits, who knows a thing or two about winning, having been part of a Saracens golden era with two Premiership and Champions Cup doubles, says the Stormers will benefit from having more experience in their team in the URC playoffs.
A spate of injuries, along with the delayed return of the Springboks and resting protocols, have meant that the Stormers have been without the likes of Frans Malherbe, Damian Willemse, Deon Fourie, Sti Sithole and Lizo Gqoboka – among others – for a portion of the season.
“Sometimes, to me, it’s crucial moments,” said Brits. “The Stormers have been making mistakes. I watched the Champions Cup playoff against La Rochelle and there were so many opportunities [wasted]. That just comes with experience.
“My feeling was always, at Saracens, for example, back in the day, that even when we were a new team, there were very seriously experienced players still there to help with the transition. In the Stormers’ case, they’ve lacked some of that through injuries. You’ve seen the difference a Frans Malherbe makes.
“When there’s more experienced players on the pitch, a team tends to make better decisions. For me, top-level rugby is about compounding pressure. If you let your opponents out easily, then it’s very hard to build that pressure up again.
“Still, the Stormers have maybe had injuries in one or two crucial positions and some crucial kicks that didn’t go over, maybe a wrong decision here and there, but that’s just how the cookie crumbles every now and then.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
