John Dobson hailed Wandisile Simelane’s performance as the centre sparked the DHL Stormers to a bonus-point victory over Edinburgh. DYLAN JACK reports.
The DHL Stormers put seven tries past Edinburgh to earn a 43-21 victory in Cape Town on Saturday night.
It was a timely return to attacking form for the home side, as right wing Suleiman Hartzenberg scored a hat-trick, while left wing Leolin Zas and No 8 Evan Roos grabbed a brace of tries each.
The win saw the Stormers rebound from the disappointment of a derby defeat to the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria two weeks ago.
“It felt like a bit of our spark was back,” Dobson said. “It felt like that a lot more today, the way we want to play and our intensity, which is what Salmaan asked from the team before the game.
“What’s frustrating is how many tries we left out, after two weeks ago in Pretoria. It was probably double that today. But that’s not a technical thing. It’s not like something is wrong with our shape.
“I would rather have this than not being able to create those opportunities.”
Making his first start for the Stormers, Simelane enjoyed a spectacular performance, immediately gelling with midfield partner Dan du Plessis.
Simelane missed out on playing his former side at Loftus Versfeld, but made full use of his first real opportunity since moving to Cape Town, and should have grabbed a try in the first half.
“If I was to replay the game at Loftus…we thought hard about playing him there, on that field against his old team, and Dan is not really a 13, maybe I made a mistake. He was very good today,” Dobson said.
“Wandi is going to be special. What you can all forget about, like Joseph Dweba’s lineout throwing, don’t worry about Wandisile’s defence. He understands our system completely.”
Dobson and his Stormers coaching crew are now facing a selection quandary for next week’s clash with Ulster.
Warrick Gelant, who missed Saturday’s match to manage a long-term knee problem, is expected to be available for selection, adding to a stack of backline options.
“You almost want two of them to get injured, so you don’t go through that,” Dobson joked. “It’s very tricky. Wandi was great and you have to keep Suleiman in the team. We are thrilled with Ben Loader and Warrick is coming back.
“It’s tomorrow’s problem.”
Captain Salmaan Moerat added that he hopes the win can be a turning point in helping the Stormers push for a URC playoff.
“I am thrilled. We showed some very good glimpses. Coming off the back of the previous performance, there were a lot of things that we weren’t happy with. Our attitude was one of them. There was a great shift tonight. The guys really pitched up and understood how we are going to win.
“With any team, once you get that confidence, it can be a catalyst for greater things to come. The most important thing is to be consistent with the areas that make us tick.
“It’s important that we go back to the drawing board on Monday. Ulster are a quality side, Kitsie is coming home, which will be special. So we are really looking forward to that.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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