SuperSport veteran Rugby commentator and Rugby Legend Gavin Cowley feels that the DHL Stormers team need to focus on “two solutions” during this four-week international break if they are to turn around their 2024/2025 United Rugby Championship campaign, climb off the bottom half of the log and make the playoffs.
The DHL Stormers have started the season on a very slow and bad note, with only 2 wins coming from 5 games this far. They currently sit in 13 th position on the log and Director of Rugby John Dobson is under all sorts of pressure to turn around his team’s fortunes. The early part of this season has been challenging to say the least, and to make things worse is that the Cape side have been hit by so many injuries to key players.
Springbok stars Sacha Feinberg- Mngomezulu, Captain Salmaan Moerat, Steven Kitshoff, and Deon Fourie have not featured at all during this season. While on the other hand there is a huge Loose head prop crisis- with 4 Loose head props all currently sitting on the sidelines in Lizo Qqoboka, Ali Vermaak, Sti Sithole, and Steven Kitshoff. Other key members that are missing are Ben Loader and Evan Roos. During the last game before the break, Ben Jason Dixon and Damian Willemse picked up injuries as well during the defeat against current champions Glasgow Warriors in Stellenbosch.
A player like the dynamic Hacjivah Dayimani who joined Racing Metro in France has been missed dearly as, he was was often the link between the forwards and backs and was an absolute superstar in the first 3 seasons of the United Rugby Championship. One of the biggest problems the team faces is also how to accommodate so many superstar backline players in the starting lineup.
We saw the reshuffling of the backline and in particular the midfield pairing of current captain Dan du Plessis and Ruhan Nel, being broken up to accommodate fullback Warrick Gelant. This selection error was costly as the DHL Stormers were exposed badly by Scotland Captain and Glasgow Warriors Centre Sione Tuipulotu who ran holes through the midfield. On top of things, the DHL Stormers haven’t done much recruitment in the off season with only 3 players being signed.
Zimbabwean Loose forward, David Ewers has been brought in from Exeter Chiefs in England, Prop Steven Kitshoff makes a return from Ulster in Ireland but he is still injured with a really serious neck injury, and Lock JD Schickerling from Kobuta Spears in Japan. Schickerling though, to be fair has been a big boost to the team. His performances have been absolutely outstanding and he certainly has been one of the positive shining lights this far. Hopefully he will continue his excellent form and continue to add that grunt and physicality upfront in the pack.
Cowley feels in order for the DHL Stormers to make a strong comeback after the four-week International break, the two solutions are, “They need to be more competitive in the set pieces and focus more on accuracy in all that they do”.
3 weeks ago I really believed that the DHL Stormers were at a turning point with their victory against Munster, which was quite convincing 34-19 and they got a bonus point too. But of course the lost to Glasgow Warriors just after that didn’t help the cause at all and with the four week break we have now, the DHL Stormers are on their way to Durban to play the Hollywoodbet Sharks. I know injuries haven’t helped. Most teams have this issue during the course of the season and some of them worse than others too. But I think one the of key challenges for the DHL Stormers right now is at Loose Head prop, with all the injuries that they have it is about making sure that they have got someone who can provide stability or another person who can provide some stability in the pack of forwards.
Gavin Cowley
Cowley then went on touch on key players that make a huge difference to this team.
I think Evan Roos, once he got injured, he was such a driving force for the DHL Stormers and now of course Damian Willemse to, who’s also been the turnaround king quite often - when they needed it. I think that there are senior players too in the team who need to up their game, they need to have a higher level of consistency and form and without singling people out, I think that Warrick Gelant will know himself too that his form hasn’t been what it should be and players like him really need to pick up their game as the DHL Stormers head into this next section of the United Rugby Championship and , yes they are low down on the log but they got every opportunity to climb up too and if they can find the relative solutions to take them forward.
Gavin Cowley
Furthermore, Coach John Dobson also briefly touched on the return. The coastal Derby Clash away in Durban Becomes vital to the turn around.
We pushed during this opening spell. We really wanted this result. It meant a lot to us. We have to have a circuit break. Some of the guys will get a couple of weeks’ rest. The Carling Cup Currie Cup guys will get their three-week break. [ The Hollywoodbets Sharks] will be a massive game for us. We are up against it now. We know we aren’t the biggest chequebook team in the league, but we pride ourselves on exceeding the sum of our parts.
Gavin Cowley
Additionally, some positive news also made its way to the DHL Stormers with, a new Slot for the Vodacom rugby championship derby between The DHL Stormers and The Vodacom Bulls being announced. Due to a request from SA Rugby, the Round 1 United Rugby fixtures were moved to avoid a conflict with the Carling Cup Final. Originally DHL Stormers were due to take on Vodacom bulls in Cape Town in September, but will now host the North South derby at DHL stadium on Saturday, 8 th February 2024 at 2pm.