Stormers XXIII coach Dawson-Squibb accepts responsibility after heavy Boland Cavaliers defeat

Stormers XXIII head coach Tom Dawson-Squibb has admitted his side “need to be better” after a comprehensive 41-3 Currie Cup loss to Boland Cavaliers halted their early-season momentum.

The Cape-based team, who began their campaign with a dramatic last-minute win over defending champions Griquas last weekend, were comprehensively outplayed in all facets on Sunday as Boland Cavaliers ran in a dominant victory.

The result leaves Stormers XXIII sixth on the Currie Cup log with five rounds remaining, and Dawson-Squibb acknowledged that a rapid response is required if they are to mount a credible push for the play-offs.

“We need to be better,” he told reporters in the immediate aftermath of the defeat. “We need to change one or two things.”

Coach resists calls for sweeping selection changes

Despite the margin of the loss and the one-sided nature of the contest, Dawson-Squibb played down the idea that mass changes to his matchday squad would provide a simple solution.

“The easiest thing to say is to select a different team, but you’ve got what you’ve got, and I’m confident we’ve got enough in the tank,” he said.

He stressed that the current group of players are capable of responding, insisting that the focus now is on adjustments and improvements rather than wholesale alterations.

“We need to be better. We need to change one or two things,” he repeated, underlining that the issue lay in execution and detail rather than the quality of personnel available.

Dawson-Squibb declines to blame players

The coach was visibly disappointed by the performance but made it clear he would not single out individuals or the team as a whole for criticism, instead turning the spotlight on himself and his own role in the defeat.

“I’m obviously frustrated at the moment… partly with how we performed and maybe partly with myself,” he admitted.

“What could we have done differently? You always ask yourself those questions as a coach.

“It’s easy to sit and blame the players, but I’m not going to do that.”

His comments reflect an attempt to shield his squad as they look to regroup from one of the heaviest defeats of the current Currie Cup campaign.

Play-off ambitions under pressure

Stormers XXIII’s contrasting opening rounds – a late victory over Griquas followed by a heavy reverse to Boland Cavaliers – have left them with little margin for error in the remaining fixtures if they are to stay in contention for a top-four place.

With five matches left, Dawson-Squibb believes there is still “enough in the tank” for a turnaround, but Sunday’s display has underlined the size of the task facing his side against more settled Currie Cup outfits.

Boland Cavaliers’ authoritative performance, both with ball in hand and without it, exposed Stormers XXIII in every department, from set-piece and breakdown to defence and decision-making under pressure.

For Dawson-Squibb and his squad, the focus now shifts to resetting quickly, fine-tuning those “one or two things” the coach referenced, and proving that the Boland defeat was a setback rather than a sign of deeper problems in their Currie Cup campaign.