While he loves to carry the ball on the attack, Stormers flyhalf Jurie Matthee must have his kicking boots on against Leinster to take any available points in the URC semi-final in Dublin on Saturday evening. Saturday night in Dublin does not get much bigger for theStormers. The Cape side is in Ireland knowing that a place in theUnited Rugby Championship (URC)final – potentially with home-ground advantage – is on the line.
However, they are under no illusionsabout the size of the task awaiting them at the Aviva Stadium(6.30pm kick-off) in the Irish capital. Standing in their way is a Leinster side that are the current champions andrenowned for turning home matches into a nightmare for visiting teams. The Stormers, who will be without several key injured stars, can only look at what happened to the Lions in last weekend’s quarter-final.
Their hosts won 59-10, scoring nine tries in a clinical display, but Stormers director of rugby John Dobson knows exactly what is coming their way and where the battle could be won or lost. “We know Leinster are notorious for fast starts,” Dobson said ahead of the match.“We want to stay in the game and get the scoreboard going as quickly as we can.” “We know Leinster are notorious for fast starts,” Dobson said ahead of the match. “We want to stay in the game and get the scoreboard going as quickly as we can.” The defending champions have made a habit of racing out of the blocks and forcing opponents to chase the game. The visitors are determined not to fall into that trap and are prepared to take whatever points are on offer.
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