The Stormers are gunning for a clinical performance when they take on Leicester Tigers in their must-win final Champions Cup pool clash at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday evening (kick-off 5:15pm).
After a brilliant 10-game winning start to their season the Cape side suffered their first defeat of their 2025-26 campaign last weekend when their second-string team crashed to a heavy defeat against Harlequins in London.
That saw them slip to third in their pool, and they know they have to win to secure their place in the last 16, and possibly earn a home playoff if other results go their way.
But key for the Stormers heading into the match against Leicester will be an improved attacking performance, after they missed a slew of chances in their past two matches.
The Stormers are well known for their thrilling, attacking brand of rugby and it has been on full show over the season so far, but in their recent United Rugby Championship match against the Bulls and last weekend against Harlequins, they only managed two tries in each game.
They are thus aiming to produce a better attacking performance on Saturday, especially back in front of their home fans.
Work on
“It’s an area you are always going to work on. I think against the Bulls, we had two open trylines, and we missed those ones,” explained assistant coach Dawie Snyman earlier this week about their recent efforts on attack.
“Against Harlequins, we had two nice momentum carries into the 22 before the ball was turned over, and we finished five metres from our own line.
“It’s an area of the game we always pride ourselves on and want to do well, and it is what the faithful want to see when we play at home. We will try and sharpen it up.”
Stormers hooker Andre-Hugo Venter, who was one of the first team players left in Cape Town to prepare for the Leicester match, admitted that the team was fired up to go out and get the job done and secure their place in the Champions Cup knockouts.
“There’s always that pressure, but we want to go out and perform and secure our playoff for the round of 16. We have a really good culture, and we will try our best to reach our goals. It’s about putting our best foot forward and taking control of what we can control,” said Venter.
“Playing at home makes a massive difference. The energy from the crowd gives you that extra push when it gets tough. If you go overseas, they always have that sense of home-ground advantage because they have smaller stadiums, so they mostly sell out. That has a huge impact on the game.”
