First URC win gives Stormers edge over Munster in final

Having been there and done it before gives Coach Stormers John Dobson believes his team can do it again and defend their title when they take on Munster in the Rugby United Championship (URC) final at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night (starting at 6:30pm).

hosts won the inaugural edition last year, beating fierce local rivals the Bulls on the same pitch, but this time faced a very different challenge from the Irish giants, who beat tournament favorites Leinster in the semi-finals.

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“Last year, even though it was the URC final, it was like another local derby. We know these guys so well and it was another Bulls vs Stormers game that lasted 80 years,” Dobson explained.

“Everything is brilliant this year. You have an Irish European giant in Munster against us. And I personally feel that having been in this final (earlier) we have a little more institutional knowledge and a little more confidence because we know what we’re aiming for.

“The main thing is that we have never beaten Munster in the URC, they are the only team that we have not beaten. So that’s a little more troubling.”

best season

It’s been another great season for the Stormers and although they’ve already achieved all the goals they set for themselves before the start of the campaign, Dobson admitted they’re desperate to win again and not let their fans down.

“I feel like we had a really normal week (in training). We haven’t had too many distractions and our game plans are solid,” Dobson said.

“The challenge is that we have a vision of what we wanted to do with rugby in Cape Town. And to a large extent, we have achieved this. So whatever happens tomorrow, we’ve done our job.

“When we made our goal list at the start of the season, it didn’t include saving the URC trophy. But in fact, we are desperately trying to win tomorrow, and we feel that if we do not, it will be an empty achievement of the goal.

“Cold logic has given way to a rather high level of emotion, anxiety and enthusiasm. We don’t want to let people down. The whole city has embraced rugby in a way I’ve never seen before and we really want to give them a reason to cheer again.”