Stormers back themselves at home against Leicester after Harlequins reality check

The Stormers’ “desperately disappointing” performance against Harlequins has thrown their Champions Cup campaign into sudden jeopardy, forcing the Cape side into must-win mode for their final pool clash against Leicester Tigers on Saturday in Cape Town.

Following their capitulation in London on Sunday, where they were thrashed 61-10 by their hosts, the encounter at the DHL Stadium has become critically important if the Stormers are to secure a home playoff in the Round of 16.

There is, of course, a scenario in which the team could be knocked out of the tournament altogether should they lose without picking up any points, while both the Tigers and La Rochelle collect five points from their respective final clashes.

However, it is not something the Cape side will think about. While they lost their overall unbeaten status, they can fall back on their fortress, where they have not lost a match this season. A few fresh players who did not make the trip to Twickenham Stoop will also be eager to right the wrongs of the past weekend.

It was arguably their poorest performance in the tenure of John Dobson as coach and director of rugby, and he was not a pleased man following the drubbing.

“In terms of the process and outcome, it was a desperately disappointing performance,” Dobson said.

“Even though we left some players in Cape Town, I still thought we had a team that would compete better and get a point out of the game at least. We didn’t really come close. So that is disappointing. We had some good results on the road this year.

“However, Harlequins clicked and they were desperate. But that is not an excuse. We were beaten at the breakdown, and defensively, we were not up to our standard. We probably also did not stick to our plan of what we wanted to do on the attack.”

While the rout will sting for a bit, the Stormers cannot wallow in self-pity. They have a short turnaround to the Leicester game, and although their supporters will stand behind them on Saturday, there is plenty to make up for.

The Tigers are still in the running for the playoffs and will chase five points while trying to keep their hosts scoreless. Then, the Stormers will also hope that La Rochelle can do them a favour by toppling Quins in France on Sunday for the Cape side to sneak into second place behind Leinster – that is, if they beat Leicester.

“Our plan to get into the Round of 16 is still on track, but not like this. If we had lost 9-0 and got nothing out of this game (against Harlequins), we would’ve felt better. But Leicester becomes a very big game now. Our future is in our hands and if we win the game, we should host a playoff.

“Mercifully, there are no big injuries. There were some nice touches from certain players, especially off the bench. This is almost a knockout game in Cape Town against one of the giants of European rugby and we must be better.”

Damian Willemse looks set to continue the captaincy of the Stormers, with regular skipper Salmaan Moerat set to miss the game after a head knock against the Bulls. He did not look too comfortable when he left the field in the north-south derby. Lock Ruben van Heerden was one of the shining lights at Quins and should partner the rested JD Schickerling on Saturday in the absence of Moerat and fellow enforcer Adré Smith, who picked up an infection in his knee against the Bulls.

It is also expected that the Springbok front row of props Ntuthuko Mchunu and Neethling Fouché, and hooker André-Hugo Venter, will be back in the starting XV. However, the performance of No 1 Vernon Matongo off the bench against Harlequins could give Dobson and his coaches food for thought about their run-on loosehead.