Stormers v All Blacks: John Dobson predicts clash of contrasting styles

John Dobson expects Friday’s opening match of the Greatest Rivalry tour between the Stormers and the All Blacks to produce a markedly different contest in terms of rugby philosophy and style.

The Stormers head coach said New Zealand are moving the ball more frequently than at any previous point, creating a challenge his side have not encountered during their United Rugby Championship campaign.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Dobson said: “We looked at the stats this week of how much the All Blacks are passing and moving the ball. The graph is just going through the roof.”

The Stormers have prepared to face a team whose attacking approach is developing in a clear direction, but Dobson admitted that playing in the URC had not exposed them to a comparable style.

“They’re going in a certain direction. And so we haven’t faced that,” he said.

“It’s just two different styles of rugby mindsets around rugby.

“It’s cutlass versus rapier, whatever you want to call it. So it’s something that we don’t play every week. It’s a different style and mindset to the game altogether.”

The Stormers will not attempt to copy the All Blacks’ high-tempo passing game. Instead, Dobson says his side will rely on the physical strengths that have been central to their identity throughout the season.

Asked whether the Stormers would use the same approach that enabled them to compete strongly with Leinster in their United Rugby Championship semi-final in May, Dobson made clear that physical engagement remained the plan.

“We’ve got to engage them like that,” he stated bluntly.

“We’ve got to look at those things that we’re doing every week. The set piece, line speed, the physicality, that’s what we’re at. It’s in our DNA.”

Friday’s match is a one-off encounter, meaning the Stormers will have limited opportunity to assess how their established methods measure up against the All Blacks. Dobson said the match would provide an important test of whether the Stormers’ set-piece strength and defensive intensity could produce a result.

“The thing is, we don’t know. We don’t play them every week. Do they give in the scrums? We don’t know.”

Dobson also rejected the idea that his team should try to match New Zealand by adopting the expansive style described by British rugby journalist Stephen Jones as “Super Rugby”.

“We can’t suddenly go out there and try and join what Stephen Jones [British rugby journalist] calls Super Rugby, the basketball [approach], you know what I mean? That’s not going to be our plan at all. We can’t do that.”

The Stormers will instead seek to impose their own strengths through the scrum, line speed and physical contact, setting up a meeting between two contrasting approaches to attack and defence.

Kick-off is at 19:00 on Friday.