Stormers vs Toulon in Gqeberha: 'We're feeling more confident,' says coach John Dobson

John Maytham speaks to Head Coach of the Stormers rugby team, John Dobson.

Hooker Joseph Dweba and loose forward Willie Engelbrecht will both be playing their 50th match for the DHL Stormers. It promises to be a special occasion in Round One of the Investec Champions Cup.

This is considered the world’s elite club competition with the top eight teams from the Vodacom URC, Gallagher Premiership and Top 14 striving to lift the trophy.

Reflecting on their narrow 21-15 loss to the Sharks in Durban, Dobson expressed optimism despite the setback, highlighting the team’s strong second-half performance and the promising signs of their trademark playing style.

'We're feeling more confident and it feels like we turned a corner... it looked like a Stormers performance,' said coach Dobbie. 

Gates at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will open at 2.15pm with kick-off at 7.15pm

Tickets are available via Webtickets and at Pick n Pay and Boxer stores while the match will be live on DStv's SuperSport.

Dobson says the opposing team will be challenging to beat. 

"They're a good team in terms of their roster and they are absolutely physically huge, probably the biggest team in France which is quite a statement."

- John Dobson, Head Coach - Stormers

Hopefully, the team will be able to play fast with better finishes and fewer mistakes while not getting stuck into the physical grind since the opposing team may be physically challenging to conquer.

He says while Toulon's players might be big they are 'not the fastest.'

"So, it will be challenging for us, they're not fast but it will be a challenge for us in terms of the big physical grind... a player in their team is also not an international player somewhere which makes it quite daunting."

- John Dobson, Head Coach - Stormers

Another challenge the team faces is that many players are recovering from injuries. Dobson acknowledges they have less depth than last week due to additional injuries.