John Dobson calls for a behavioral shift in the Stormers' approach after a string of losses, pinpointing critical areas for improvement. The Stormers' director of rugby, John Dobson, has analyzed the recent setbacks in their United Rugby Championship (URC) derby against the Sharks in Durban. Despite a strong start to the 2025/26 season, winning their first eight matches, the team has stumbled in recent weeks, suffering back-to-back defeats to the Sharks on consecutive weekends. The Sharks secured a 30-19 victory in Cape Town on January 24 and followed it up with a 36-24 win in the rematch on Saturday. These losses have dropped the Stormers to third place in the URC standings, with 36 points from 10 matches. The team is now eight points behind the table-topping Glasgow Warriors and four points behind the second-placed Leinster, though they have played one match fewer than these top clubs. Dobson acknowledges the Sharks' deserved victory, highlighting poor discipline and set-piece issues as significant factors in the Stormers' losses. He emphasizes the need for a behavioral change to address the recurring mistakes, such as failing to convert five-meter line-outs and giving away penalties at mauls, which led to discipline issues. Dobson expresses disappointment for the supporters, noting the team's inability to respond to the Sharks' strategic plan. The Stormers showed improvement in Durban, leading 17-14 at halftime, but ultimately fell short, allowing the Sharks to score 19 unanswered points and secure their first-ever home and away victories over the Stormers in the URC. Dobson laments the team's failure to rectify all mistakes from the previous encounter, yet acknowledges marginal improvements. He attributes the losses to poor discipline, lack of conversion, and the inability to stop the Sharks from five meters out, issues that persisted from the previous week. Dobson calls for a behavioral shift to address these critical areas and improve the team's performance.
