Stormers face must-win URC clash against Lions at Ellis Park

The Stormers face mounting pressure in the United Rugby Championship (URC) as they prepare for a crunch local derby against the Lions at Ellis Park this weekend.

After back-to-back defeats to the Sharks, Stormers coach John Dobson did not mince his words.

“It is,” Dobson said when asked if it’s a must-win clash. “We can’t go three in a row.”

Stormers under pressure after Sharks setbacks

The Cape side’s recent losses have dented confidence and left little room for error in the race for a top-eight finish, and potentially even higher ambitions.

Dobson admitted the frustration of consecutive defeats but insisted his side largely ‘beat ourselves’.

“If you concede 18 or 19 penalties in a game, you’re not going to win,” he said. “We broke our own system.”

He added that while the Sharks deserved credit, discipline and execution were the Stormers’ undoing, issues the coaching staff have worked hard to address over the past fortnight.

For Stormers supporters, the concern is clear: another defeat would leave the team’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread.

Ellis Park test looms large

Playing at Ellis Park presents its own challenges.

Dobson described it as ‘a horrible place to go into and have to win’, citing the altitude, the expansive pitch and the intensity of the home crowd.

The Lions arrive with confidence after beating the Sharks and remain firmly in the hunt for a top-eight finish in the URC. Dobson warned that desperation can make them even more dangerous.

“They’re fighting for the top eight,” he said. “Desperate teams are horrible.”

He pointed to key Lions threats across the park and stressed that the Stormers would need to start strongly to avoid chasing the game.

Top eight race tightens in URC

With a break in the Six Nations allowing the URC to resume in full, every point now carries significant weight.

Dobson conceded that while one loss would not mathematically end their campaign, a third straight defeat would make the road ahead ‘really hard’.

“If we’d won one of the two [against the Sharks], we’d probably feel pretty good,” he said. “But two in a row; it becomes difficult.”

Stormers fans will be hoping their side can rediscover the discipline and intensity that defined their best performances earlier in the season.

A win in Johannesburg would not only steady the ship but also reignite belief and keep their URC ambitions alive.

For more information, listen to Dobson using the audio player below: