Stormers need to be road warriors

The Stormers are intent on crossing a new frontier.

They have built much of their reputation in the United Rugby Championship (URC) on the back of superb performances at home, but now they will need to deliver equally compelling performances away if they are going to go the distance.

Saturday’s quarterfinal against Glasgow Warriors will be their first knock-out match away from home in the URC. Across the first two URC seasons they won five knock-out matches in a row before losing to Munster in the 2023 final in Cape Town.

While they would have loved to again play in front of their adoring fans, director of rugby John Dobson knows his team needs to broaden their horizons. They need to be tested in different conditions. Becoming warriors on the road will have to be the next step in their evolution.

The Stormers were far from convincing on that front at the start of this campaign. Still missing key players, especially their Springboks, who were off limits after a taxing World Cup and its after-party, the Stormers embarked on a four-match tour last November and they suffered considerable body blows.

After winning their first two matches on SA soil against the Lions and Scarlets, they lost on the road to Glasgow Warriors, Benetton, Munster and Cardiff, which proved significant in the overall scheme of things. It meant they had to play catch-up, and Dobson at the time lamented the ground lost on the tournament’s pacesetters.

It required them to regroup and they went on a four-match unbeaten run before losing to the Bulls at Loftus. That round-11 defeat was the Stormers’ last defeat away from home. Their only other defeat since came at home when the Ospreys shocked them in Cape Town.

That defeat stung Dobson and Co but they have done what’s required to secure safe passage to the knock-out stages. They’ve had to dig deep, as they did in their 14-man performance for the bulk of the second half against the Lions last weekend. They will require similar champion qualities in Glasgow this weekend.

The Warriors too are keen to break new ground. They are yet to make it to the semifinals of the URC.

The Warriors are unbeaten at home this season but like the Stormers they have revealed vulnerabilities on the road. Moreover, their form in the closing stages of the league was less than convincing. They lost consecutive matches on the highveld, with their defeat at Ellis Park in particular coming as a crushing blow to coach Franco Smith and Co. Last weekend they laboured to victory over lowly Zebre and their run towards the knock-out stages has been far from ideal.

Smith’s observations before the Bulls game will likely occupy his thoughts this weekend. He noted then that while his team has made huge progress over the past year or so, Scotland’s top players need to toughen up mentally. Smith wants them to develop the habit of winning the matches that matter. He pointed to the Scottish national team’s shortcomings at the Rugby World Cup and the crunch games in the Six Nations.

He had first-hand experience of that in 2023 when the Warriors huffed and puffed but ultimately fell short to knock-out specialists Munster. A year earlier Smith’s team, albeit much earlier in their development under his tutelage, were crushed by Leinster at the same stage.

For his team, this weekend is also about making a step up. Whoever wins at the Scotstoun Stadium will be emboldened about their progress.