Stormers coach John Dobson says his side can still take a step up after continuing their unbeaten start to the season with a last-gasp win against the Lions.
The Stormers went three-for-three after Ruhan Nel scored a try after the full-time hooter to give them a 33-30 victory at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon.
It was a game that ebbed and flowed, with the Stormers dominating the early exchanges but not fully capitalising before the Lions fought their way back into the match and took the lead with just over a minute left on the clock.
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It was the Stormers’ third win this year, after they beat the Vodacom Bulls and Hurricanes at Newlands, as well as their first in Johannesburg since 2015.
Dobson was delighted with the character his side showed after appearing to throw away a 26-15 lead, but added that even more promising was that his team was still not firing on all cylinders.
‘I took a view that when the Lions scored that was it,’ Dobson said. ‘It would have been too good to be true to get out of that. It was agony but we showed some character which is one thing we have done this season.
‘The Lions obviously wanted to push the tempo and they caught us. They caught our bigger forwards towards the end there. Elton’s try was straight between Frans [Malherbe] and Cobus [Wiese] and nobody laid a finger on him.
‘My frustration was that at 26-15, we had quite a few opportunities in their 22 and we did not convert. That was a game that I thought we nearly threw away.
‘We’re not operating at half our capacity, and that’s really frustrating. I want to see us play more rugby. We’re three from three, but we’re not firing, so I suppose that’s good, that we can still get so much better.’
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The Stormers next face the Jaguares at Newlands in a tie which could be crucial in terms of the final standings in the South African conference.
Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images
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