Stormers director of rugby John Dobson described his side’s shockingly inept performance against Harlequins on Sunday as humiliating as the Cape side lost for the first time this season in emphatic fashion in London.
The Stormers came into the Investec Champions Cup fixture unbeaten and on a 10-game winning streak, but that was brought to a steady halt as Harlequins ran in nine tries to 61-10 on Sunday afternoon.
Dobson was quick to acknowledge Harlequins’ quality, crediting the English outfit for fully capitalising on their opportunities.
“Fair play to Quins. We know they have that game in them. They were desperate with their backs against the wall, and they played superbly,” said Dobson on PremierSports channel.
Harlequins did well to press the Stormers in their half and broke the defensive line with ease on multiple occasions, in an exhibition of utter domination, dotting down three tries in the opening quarter.
“We have a really good defence, and they opened us up well,” Dobson admitted.
Despite many changes, Dobson suggested his expectation of the side was a lot higher, and although many first-team players were missing, he felt they were good enough to compete.
“I probably expected more from us. That’s a poor performance and a little bit embarrassing,” he said.
“I know we have a team waiting in Cape Town, but we prepared, we came here to win, we didn’t just come to fulfill a fixture.
“We love being a part of this competition. We want to show it respect, and we want to do well. We didn’t expect that score. 61 points, it’s not good,” reflected the director of rugby.
Looking forward to the tie against Leicester Tigers on Saturday at DHL Stadium, Dobson knows improvement is a non-negotiable.
“We need to get back to the values that have gotten us to where we are now. Defensively off the beat, our breakdown was awful, and those are the two areas we’ll focus on,” he said.
Dobson also highlighted the importance of addressing the mental impact of such a heavy defeat.
“We need to manage the psychological fallout because we came here to play much better than we did,” he said.