Stormers switch to 'must-win' playoff mode

09/05/2024 16:54

Skipper Salmaan Moerat has acknowledged the magnitude of the DHL Stormers' tour, yet believes the team is in the "right space of mind" to tackle Dragons in Wales on Friday.

Currently in fifth position on the overall standings in the Vodacom URC, the Stormers face Dragons at Rodney Parade, before locking horns with Connacht in Galway next Saturday.

With three rounds left before the playoffs, there is everything to play for John Dobson's charges on the road, and the congested nature of the log shows just how competitive the URC has been this season.

The Stormers have welcomed back three players from injury for the key clash in Newport, and speaking in a teleconference on Thursday, Moerat reiterated the importance of the match in the context of their campaign.

"We haven't been in this position before, where we're on a tour and it's a must-win tour for us, so we'll treat it like a playoff. We know what's at stake," he told reporters.

"We made it a bit hard for ourselves losing that Ospreys game but looking forward, it's a very important tour for us and it starts tomorrow.

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"We all understand – players and coaches – the magnitude of this tour and what the possible permutations can work out to, so we know the importance of this game.

"Ultimately we want to host a quarter-final but the only thing that's in our hands is getting the result. If we're going to worry about this team having to lose or that team having to win and depend on other teams, then we're in the wrong place.

"We're in the right space of mind and focusing on ourselves knowing that we need the four points, worst-case [scenario] the five points."

Angelo Davids, Sti Sithole and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu make their return to the matchday 23 after a spell on the sidelines, but assistant coach Dawie Snyman is confident that the selections will boost the team's prospects in the race to the final eight.

"It's a really big game for us and we have to get the result on Friday night, that’s why we went with this team. We need to build a bit of cohesion going into the last few games," he said.

"We back the way we train and the way we prepare for games so the guys coming in, like Salmaan a few weeks ago from injury, or who haven't been selected for a while… our training intensity is of a high standard so I'm sure those guys won't miss a beat.

"Their understanding of how we want to play; those players also spend a lot of time working on that, so I'm 100 percent confident that they're ready."

Photo: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images

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