The Stormers lost their first United Rugby Championship (URC) match at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch since the competition began in 2021, losing 17-28 against the Glasgow Warriors on 26 October.
This was confirmed by Michael de Vries, strategic communications officer for the Stormers.
Stormers flank Ben-Jason Dixon makes a lunging tackle on Josh McKay early in the game. Dixon was replaced minutes later after sustaining a knee injury. PHOTO: Eugene Marais
Before the match, the Stormers were unbeaten at the venue, picking up wins against Zebre Parma, Connacht, Benetton, and Scarlets, according to the official URC website.
Their home record, combined with their 34-19 win against Munster the previous weekend, made them favourites heading into the clash, according to Rugby365’s Warren Fortuin and SuperSport’s Gavin Rich.
Contrasting playing styles
Despite being favourites, the Stormers failed to make their home advantage count, suffering their third loss in five matches in the competition and dropping to 13th on the league table. Their expansive playing style was partially to blame for the loss, according to John Dobson, Stormers head coach.
“Glasgow deserved to win, they were good,” said Dobson at the post-match press conference. “If I [had to] say where we lost it, I thought there were two efforts. I don’t think we worked hard enough off the ball, and I think we were a little bit loose.”
On the other hand, Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith felt their adherence to structure ultimately won them the game.
“I think we kept our shape well, and then it was a massive defensive effort. So winning with the ball today and winning without the ball were our two emphases, and I thought we got it right,” he said.
Stormers captain Dan du Plessis scores one of the team’s two tries of the match. PHOTO: Eugene Marais
A ‘disappointing’ loss
Brok Harris, Stormers veteran prop, said that they knew it would be a hard-fought contest.
“Obviously very disappointed with the loss, but credit to Glasgow. They’re a quality side and defending champions,” he said.
Stormers captain Dan du Plessis complimented their opponents’ use of space to get past the Stormers defence.
“They did really well to take us out wide a couple of times,” Du Plessis said. “They played really deep and tried to get around us and it worked. Credit to them, they’re really good at doing that and a really good team.”
Stormers lock Ruben van Heerden wins a lineout. The Stormers struggled to establish forward dominance from their set pieces, especially at scrum time, due to the state of the pitch, according to Stormers prop Brok Harris. PHOTO: Eugene Marais
Pitch problems resurface
Adding to the challenge, the Danie Craven pitch conditions deteriorated as the match progressed, according to Harris, who said that he could feel the quality of the pitch was not up to standard, especially at scrum time.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t good under foot. It actually felt like the old DHL [Stadium pitch], so I’m not sure what happened, but the pitch wasn’t in a great condition,” he said.
The pitch has been a contentious issue for other sports as well, with head coaches Sead Ramović of TS Galaxy and Steve Barker of Stellenbosch FC both openly criticising the state of the pitch in their sides’ MTN8 quarter-final match earlier this year, SMF News reports.
The cold and wet weather conditions during the winter damaged the grass, Stellenbosch University (SU) operations and facilities manager Louis Fincham told SMF News in August.
After an undefeated streak at the Danie Craven Stadium spanning five matches, the Stormers faced their first URC defeat at the Stellenbosch venue, losing 17-28 to Glasgow Warriors. VIDEO: Eugene Marais