Steven Kitshoff admits stars are aligning after Munster home URC final 'favour'

The Stormers admit things seem to be falling into place after they not only played their way into another URC final but got the massive gift of hosting it in Cape Town.

On Saturday, the defending champions completed a gutsy 43-25 semi-final victory over Connacht before seeing Munster shock Leinster 16-15 in the second semi-final to ensure the final takes place at the DHL Stadium for the second year running.

And with key players like Springboks Marvin Orie and Deon Fourie set to return for the final in two weeks' time, the Cape Town outfit has a golden opportunity to claim back-to-back United Rugby Championship titles.

Stormers coach John Dobson was also quick to salute Munster for their heroics in reaching the final - and doing his side a massive favour.

"It's two proud unions or clubs with a massive history and tradition, who've pulled themselves up and made the final of the URC [for] a great occasion," Dobson told reporters.

"Caught us by surprise but absolutely thrilled that it's in Cape Town.

"The Leinster-Munster result works in our favour. They had a tough task at the start of the season and fought themselves into Europe [the Champions Cup] and into the final. Any team that goes to win at the Aviva is a good team. It's going to be a really tough team to break down."

A video clip of Stormers players celebrating Munster's victory went viral over the weekend, and Dobson admits it's a massive bonus to be preparing for a final in Cape Town and not a cramped flight to Ireland.

"We had booked and were going to Dublin this weekend and from a rugby point of view I was looking forward to it because I thought it would be a great experience for the group, going to play Leinster at the Aviva.

"Our mission, like I said, was to make Cape Town smile, and suddenly it was euphoric because we're sitting in the box that overlooks the stadium and it's empty and it's beautiful and all lit up ¦ and suddenly the guys said Munster might win this!

"And the wives and girlfriends realised that their husbands and boyfriends weren't going to be away for 10 days and we could be playing in front of the Cape Town people again. It was a game we were half watching and then it suddenly became real, that we could play another game at home, another farewell for Kitsie. It was a massive celebration."

The outcome of this weekend's URC action was also great for outgoing prop Steven Kitshoff, who can now sign off his Stormers career in front of a packed Cape Town Stadium before heading off to Ulster next year.

Of course, there's still a massive job to be done before any celebrations can ensue.

"The stars have aligned for us to have another farewell. But it's all about the rugby over the next two weeks and getting all our stuff in order and understanding what Munster brings," Kitshoff said.

"I think the emotion will definitely come in afterwards but for now, it's about getting the alignment of the team and management all 100 percent focused on the game.

"For us, it was about getting over these two [playoffs] hurdles and having a full go at the trophy again and trying to defend it with everything that we've got... so it's pretty special to play a grand final [in Cape Town]."