John Dobson on cloud nine after Stomers thrash URC champions Leinster

When the 2025/26 URC fixture list came out, Dobson would not have been pleased to host the Irish giants in the first match. It was a war of attrition to start on Friday night, but come the final whistle, his charges had played daring rugby to hold the champions to nil in an incredible result.

"I didn't expect that, there are some broke bookmakers," Dobson quipped after the match.

"They [Leinster] put a really strong team out. We all know there were 14 British and Irish Lions missing and RG Snyman, but they are probably the most exceptional team in the world.

"That's the model - to be able to have two teams. Factually, there were 270 international caps out there, and we knew this was going to be a very tough game.

"We saw their game against Cardiff, which was a friendly, and then they came to us, and maybe they had to find their feet and see where they are.

"But the short answer is that I didn't expect that. I do, of course, have some latitude for Leinster. They are not going to be judged on game one.

"Leinster had 13 internationals and we were four internationals with 13 [Test] caps. It's remarkable that we got that sort of depth in those youngsters."

The Stormers host Welsh outfit Ospreys in Round Two of the URC in Cape Town on Friday.

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