The Stormers’ 23-17 Super Rugby Unlocked win over the Lions at Newlands on Saturday felt like a loss, according to coach John Dobson.
After a slow start, the Stormers managed to fight back to win the match, but had to hold on at the end as the Lions threatened to steal the win with the last play of the match.
A turnover won by Scarra Ntubeni had the Stormers breathing a huge sigh of relief at the final whistle, but they aren’t under any illusions after playing their first match following a bye in week one.
Dobson explains: “It felt like we haven’t played for a very long time.
“Maybe other teams had the benefit of the extra game last week. [Captain] Siya [Kolisi] would agree [when I say] the changeroom felt like a loss.
“We are very disappointed with our performance, there is no doubt we will be better for it.”
Kolisi believes the fan ban makes it tough for them to find their mojo.
He says: “Even the warm-up was awkward… it’s not the same.
“We take it [the fans] for granted – we didn’t understand what it means for us until now.
“The way we started. the crowd usually picks us up. We made
mistake after mistake. It was tough without the people.”
Meanwhile, Dobson expects wing Sergeal Petersen to be out for a long time after suffering a quadricep injury, while Damian Willemse should be fine after leaving the field with a lammie.