Victory over French powerhouses Toulon in Gqeberha on Saturday would give the DHL Stormers some much-needed oomph and put fire in their bellies, loose forward Willie Engelbrecht said.
After a heartbreaking loss to the Sharks last week, the Stormers want to bounce back with a win over the Frenchmen in their opening Investec Challenge Cup clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (kickoff 5.15pm).
Despite the Stormers playing 750km away from their base in Cape Town, Gqeberha would be like a welcoming home away from home for the Cape side, Engelbrecht said.
Three-time champions Toulon will have their tails up after beating Perpignan and Bayonne in their past two Top 14 outings.
Victory over Perpignan was the seventh win from 11 matches for the former European Champions, who are in fourth place on the Top 14 log with 32 points behind their name.
“It is a home game for us in Nelson Mandela Bay,” Engelbrecht said.
“The last time we played in Gqeberha against the Dragons two years ago it was a packed crowd and they were loud.
“Winning against a side like Toulon would give any team motivation and some oomph.
“Unlucky is the word that has been used about the Stormers, but I feel that is starting to change.
“It will like be a home crowd for us in Gqeberha and we will approach the game as though we are playing at home.
“I think the atmosphere is going to be amazing because they do not get a lot of top rugby in Gqeberha.”
Engelbrecht said he expected the game to be a tough contest between the forward packs.
“The French and SA rugby styles are very similar because we are big players and we like the physical part of the game.
“I cannot say French rugby is slow, it is just hard.
“It is always a challenge to play against all the big French clubs and I think they feel the same way when they play the SA clubs.
Asked about the Stormers’ narrow defeat against the Sharks last week, Engelbrecht said: “It will always hurt if you lose, but you take confidence from the good things that happen in the game.
“You could see our plans coming together and it was just one or two unlucky moments in the game and not the final moment [Manie Libbok’s disallowed try] that cost us the result.”
Assistant coach Rito Rito Hlungwani said the Stormers were excited about taking a Champions Cup game to the people in the Eastern Cape.
“We really hope they come out in their numbers considering we don’t go there a lot and we know some fans will travel from Cape Town to watch us,” he said.
“The team were happy with how we operated in the set pieces against the Sharks last week, but we can get better and make progress.
“We look at our processes and what we are doing well and what needs improvement.
“There are a couple of things we are happy with and some things we need to improve on that will take us to the next level.
“So that is our focus for the next couple of weeks.
“We are putting our heads down to find improvements in all facets of our game.”
Stormers head coach John Dobson said the team would adopt an all-out attacking mindset and come out with guns blazing against Toulon.
“This result against the Sharks hasn’t changed anything for Saturday when we face Toulon in the Champions Cup,” Dobson said.
“I saw a lot that gives me hope.
“The Toulon game is one we will go and enjoy and play and there isn’t any pressure.”
HeraldLIVE
Beating Toulon would give Stormers motivation, says Engelbrecht
Rugby writer
Image: ASHLEY VLOTMAN/GALLO IMAGES
Victory over French powerhouses Toulon in Gqeberha on Saturday would give the DHL Stormers some much-needed oomph and put fire in their bellies, loose forward Willie Engelbrecht said.
After a heartbreaking loss to the Sharks last week, the Stormers want to bounce back with a win over the Frenchmen in their opening Investec Challenge Cup clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (kickoff 5.15pm).
Despite the Stormers playing 750km away from their base in Cape Town, Gqeberha would be like a welcoming home away from home for the Cape side, Engelbrecht said.
Three-time champions Toulon will have their tails up after beating Perpignan and Bayonne in their past two Top 14 outings.
Victory over Perpignan was the seventh win from 11 matches for the former European Champions, who are in fourth place on the Top 14 log with 32 points behind their name.
“It is a home game for us in Nelson Mandela Bay,” Engelbrecht said.
“The last time we played in Gqeberha against the Dragons two years ago it was a packed crowd and they were loud.
“Winning against a side like Toulon would give any team motivation and some oomph.
“Unlucky is the word that has been used about the Stormers, but I feel that is starting to change.
“It will like be a home crowd for us in Gqeberha and we will approach the game as though we are playing at home.
“I think the atmosphere is going to be amazing because they do not get a lot of top rugby in Gqeberha.”
Engelbrecht said he expected the game to be a tough contest between the forward packs.
“The French and SA rugby styles are very similar because we are big players and we like the physical part of the game.
“I cannot say French rugby is slow, it is just hard.
“It is always a challenge to play against all the big French clubs and I think they feel the same way when they play the SA clubs.
Asked about the Stormers’ narrow defeat against the Sharks last week, Engelbrecht said: “It will always hurt if you lose, but you take confidence from the good things that happen in the game.
“You could see our plans coming together and it was just one or two unlucky moments in the game and not the final moment [Manie Libbok’s disallowed try] that cost us the result.”
Assistant coach Rito Rito Hlungwani said the Stormers were excited about taking a Champions Cup game to the people in the Eastern Cape.
“We really hope they come out in their numbers considering we don’t go there a lot and we know some fans will travel from Cape Town to watch us,” he said.
“The team were happy with how we operated in the set pieces against the Sharks last week, but we can get better and make progress.
“We look at our processes and what we are doing well and what needs improvement.
“There are a couple of things we are happy with and some things we need to improve on that will take us to the next level.
“So that is our focus for the next couple of weeks.
“We are putting our heads down to find improvements in all facets of our game.”
Stormers head coach John Dobson said the team would adopt an all-out attacking mindset and come out with guns blazing against Toulon.
“This result against the Sharks hasn’t changed anything for Saturday when we face Toulon in the Champions Cup,” Dobson said.
“I saw a lot that gives me hope.
“The Toulon game is one we will go and enjoy and play and there isn’t any pressure.”
HeraldLIVE
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