Stormers coach hails depth following narrow win over Sharks

The former URC champions travelled to Durban for the fixture and earned a hard-fought 25-21 victory over the Sharks, who rallied in the final quarter of the game.

While the Sharks had several Springboks in the ranks, the Stormers were without first-choice players Manie Libbok, Frans Malherbe, Damian Willemse and Ruhan Nel, to name a few.

Jurie Mathee started at flyhalf for the visitors and delivered another mature performance for his 23-year-old frame. There was more youth on display as junior Springbok Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu continued to impress, creating one try and kicking ten points, while 20-year-old Suleiman Hartzenberg was full of running.

"It is really nice that we can have that sort of depth," said Dobson as per rugby365.com.

"However, I still feel a little iffy because I did not see the Stormers defensive DNA. We were not making the reads and were not getting off the line.

"I have to give credit to the Sharks. They played well, they never stopped coming. If we didn't turn over that lineout at the end, I thought we would be under pressure. If they got that maul going, penalty five yards and they would've won the game.

"Defensively we were off. Strategically and tactically, there were some really good performances from some of the second-string players."

The Stormers's next URC assignment is a trip to Pretoria on 2 March to face their northern rivals, the Bulls, who defeated the Lions on Saturday.

READ MORE: Sharks coach John Plumtree admits frustration following another URC defeat