DHL Stormers hooker Andre-Hugo Venter, who remained in Cape Town with other first-choice players while a second-string side travelled to London, emphasised that the loss was felt by the entire squad and called the upcoming home match against the Leicester Tigers a "must-win" opportunity to reset.
Venter said that a significant portion of the team's issues "came down to the breakdown," which prevented them from finding any rhythm.
He highlighted that losing the ball at crucial moments "just killed our momentum" and made it difficult to maintain fluency
The Stormers’ first-choice squad, which stayed in Cape Town last week, trained on Friday and Monday, with returning players from the London trip rejoining ahead of Saturday’s crucial Pool 4 decider.
Despite disappointment, Venter sees the Leicester clash as an opportunity to reset. “If the Stormers lose, you lose. It hurts all of us,” said Venter. “That’s why this week is massive. It’s a chance to bounce back and put things right.”
“There’s always that pressure, but we want to go out and perform and secure our playoff for the round of 16.”
“We have a really good culture, and we will try our best to reach our goals. It’s about putting our best foot forward and taking control of what we can control.”
“Playing at home makes a massive difference. The energy from the crowd gives you that extra push when it gets tough.
“If you go overseas, they always have that sense of home-ground advantage because they have smaller stadiums, so they mostly sell out. That has a huge impact on the game.”