DHL Stormers XXIII coach Tom Dawson-Squibb is focusing on red-zone efficiency ahead of their Currie Cup match against the Vodacom Bulls XV at Loftus Versfeld. Reflecting on the 29-7 loss to the Airlink Pumas, Dawson-Squibb noted that his side entered the opposition 22-metre line nine times but only scored once. In contrast, the Airlink Pumas scored four tries from seven entries, making clinical execution inside the scoring zone the main priority at training this week.
“I think there’s some key areas of our game that didn’t quite fire as we would have liked them to,” Dawson-Squibb said. “And that’s what we’ve got to work on.”
The preparation is complicated by injuries to several key players, including halfbacks Stefan Ungerer and captain Jean-Luc du Plessis. Five players were forced off injured before the 50th minute in Mbombela, necessitating a heavily reshuffled lineup.
“I’m pretty sure there’ll be some enforced changes next week, but that might give us some really nice energy and impetus where guys get opportunities,” the coach added. Rather than dwelling on the setbacks, the coaching staff is looking to the incoming young players to bring fresh energy to the squad.
With their playoff hopes on the line, this North-South derby is a must-win for the Capetonians. They had an opportunity to beat the Cheetahs two weeks ago but came up short, while their latest defeat left them sixth on the log with two rounds remaining.
“I think we had an opportunity against the Cheetahs to win that game and we didn’t. And then last night [Saturday], we probably didn’t have the opportunity. But if you look at the [number of] chances created, it was quite high,” Dawson-Squibb explained.
Despite the recent dip in results, the coach believes the broader campaign has still provided immense value for the development of the squad. “Individually, it’s been a really progressive campaign. I know that’s difficult to hear because we haven’t won the games we want to,” Dawson-Squibb said.
While winning at Loftus Versfeld is always a difficult task, the team is focused on delivering a strong, cohesive performance to keep their mathematical semifinal chances alive. “We want to go to Loftus with energy and be proud of our performance,” Dawson-Squibb concluded.