Administration, a mission, and 'niggle' with Munster - The Stormers' story:
AS A TWICE-published author, Stormers head coach John Dobson knows all about the power of storytelling.
Dobson is another of the coaches who always tries to add extra layers of motivation by making his team part of a story. In the Stormers’ case, their mission has been to ‘Make Cape Town Smile.’ It’s a theme they’ve repeatedly leaned on in recent years. This decider at the 55,000-capacity DHL Stadium, where the Stormers relocated from Newlands Stadium in 2020, sold out in just two hours and 26 minutes. That’s after hosting crowds of 47,000 and 44,000 for their recent knock-out games against Connacht and the Bulls. Tickets for the final once again started from the equivalent of around €3, with the Stormers keen for all walks of society to have access to their team.
But local talent remains key. Damian Willemse, Frans Malherbe, captain Steven Kitshoff, Marvin Orie, the list goes on. So many of the Stormers players hail from Cape Town or the Western Cape and care deeply about representing the region. Dobson’s guiding principles are that his players find their work fun, focus on that mission of making people smile, and also have a great sense of belonging to the group. His reward for creating a positive environment is the loyalty and adoration of his players.
On top of it all, the Stormers can be mean. They don’t back down from confrontation. As hooker Joseph Dweba proclaimed in that now infamous leaked video of the Stormers celebrating getting a home final against Munster, the plan is to “f*ck them up.” “There are a couple of players there we don’t like in their team. A lot of needle in the last game. I think they’re going to try and get under our skins, which is definitely part of the plan.
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