John Dobson believes the DHL Stormers have put smiles back on the faces of the people of Cape Town with their “surreal” victory over the Vodacom Bulls in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship Grand Final.
The Stormers battled back in the second half to claim an 18-13 victory at the DHL Stadium, with Evan Roos and Andre-Hugo Venter touching down after Harold Vorster had given the Bulls the lead in the opening minutes.
Victory earned Dobson’s men the inaugural URC crown and ended the Stormers’ long wait for glory, having not won a Super Rugby title during their time in that competition and endured a challenging period off the field in recent times.
"It's absolutely surreal,” said Dobson. “From this team, from what we've been through...
“We had a mission statement at the start to get Cape Town smiling for lots of reasons - whether that's because of the pandemic, because rugby had lost its lustre in the Western Cape. We were always on the front pages for the wrong reason.
“People were disconnected from the team, both through Covid reasons and we weren't doing well off the field or on the field.
“It's not often in life that you start off with an audacious goal and you actually achieve it, so it's completely surreal. That's the truth.
“Going around that stadium afterwards, the people weren't saying 'well done', they were saying 'thank you'. That's so powerful for us.
“We should be thanking them but it just shows what this team means. To re-establish that connection is absolutely surreal.”
On what was behind the team’s triumph, Dobson added: “If I was to put it down to one thing, it's an unwavering work ethic and joy amongst our players.
"This guy (Steven Kitshoff) epitomises it. He takes notes in meetings, puts everything into training, never complains.
“It's a really good group and we got them to believe in what we were trying to do.”
The Stormers ended the campaign with a run of 11 straight victories, with 10 of them coming at home.
Dobson hopes Saturday’s Grand Final – a fantastic spectacle with an atmosphere to match – will go even further to making the Stormers feel at home at the DHL Stadium following their switch from DHL Newlands last year.
“I didn't think it was possible but we've done it. It's a fantastic experience,” he said.
“I never thought we would be able to do that, get the experience we had, but it is very important.
“When we start next season people are going to want to come back. I think everybody had a special experience.
“I was one of the guys who had to be dragged out of Newlands and I think this offering can be superior in the modern era and to a different market. For a family experience, this is going to be special.”
