Damian Returns to 15, Markus Muller to Feature | John Dobson Names Stormers Team vs Glasgow

Welcome to Solkity and the wonderful members of Marcus Mulder. I spoke to you a couple of weeks ago and you said that don't tell me your play is when there are injuries and student-oriented injuries and sentences. And once I said I would have a chat to Marple who wants you to play in a big game or play on this interview. uh yeah i mean you i sure go to more room and i don't so as i said what marcus would only play for injuries yeah injuries and possibly will play only in the current health points yeah refresh my memory on that because uh no we wanted to play marcus this season we wanted to play him against the dragons uh um we didn't see him because he's an 20 camp we just think that it's important for the look he's a great player um it's important for the to show that you know the stormers if you come through will give you an opportunity um i think johnny roch has just come back from a long injury and he could do 40 plus a few last week i think he'll be back in the mix shortly uh josh bull also very very long injury marcus fit and i just think it's the right thing the message going for five three so we can protect him to a little to a certain degree um look, he's a very, very special player. And we really want him to have one exposure.

You know, what we can do is be conservative and say, okay, top of the table clash. Next week, unfortunately, or the next game, unfortunately, Alistair will be a must-win, whatever happens tomorrow. And then the game after that will be a must-win, whatever happens tomorrow, like tomorrow is. And then we get through the whole season and Marcus hasn't had any sort of experience. So it's just about that, Nath, trying to get him some sort of experience.

with the 5-3 we can't control it another reason would be like Ruan and Dan there, let's say touch wood, something goes one limb's not there during the game and at least the other one, let's say Dan something goes wrong, Ruan's there to help Marcus, so it feels like the right thing to do for the union and I just think he's an exception for a raggy plan at fullback, arguably one of the best fullbacks out there, obviously now a couple of weeks, he's been playing out on the wing but you've gone to the wing for this weekend's game. I'm just a little bit. Yeah, I think Damien, that wing thing worked. I know it's not the public perception and I know how much trouble we've got into for playing on the wing. I think if one looked at the technical things, we made more carries than Dan Dublisi last week.

Our contestable game, I think we went 75% to nought. I've never seen that before. the way he regathered the restarts he played exceptionally well on the wing I think we all know wing and fullback interchangeable I think part of the logic this week was we know it's not Damien's full-time position I don't think he's going to play for South Africa like that so we want to get him back at fullback I think yeah we wanted him back at fullback and also people are just really really unhappy with seeing him on the wing as if we had a contestable plan for Edinburgh, we had a contestable plan for Toulon, which worked. We had a contestable plan for Connacht. We lost the game, but that plan worked in terms of the contestables and how we wanted to play.

But also, we know that's, as I think I said to you guys a couple of weeks ago, it was limited. I'm also aware it's deeply unpopular. Yes, Nobili. Hi, Ron. Just from Beckham's point of view, you guys had a very emotional week last week, obviously with Uncle Chukty's passing, but just this week, how's the ball up being?

And also, do you guys believe you have the drive and belief to get over the line? Because we saw you guys had a good 65 minutes, it's gone up at just the last but last quarter you kind of just I would say south and south, but you just fell apart a little bit, but it was too loose. So do you guys feel that you're having that drive and believe this week to get over the line? Yeah, definitely. Look, I think last week we touched on it multiple times.

It was a really, really unique week, you know, like we won't have weeks like that, hopefully ever again. You know, so going into the game a lot of emotion but like i just said i felt up until 65 we were in control of that game 17-7 straight after we scored that try sasha's try we lose the kickoff they scored 17-14 now to sign you under pressure again you know so i felt we did really well there up until 65 and then uh also leads like i just said to you but you know it's it's three tries that based on analysis you will take nothing out of those tries you know you lost the kickoff they score we throw intercept try and the chip from a distance kick you know those are the things that happen in every day right be like off first phase. You know so let me give you an a freak accident You want to put it like that but the energy has been really good You know I think post uncle Chippy funeral we addressed that you know at some point we have to pick it up again and i think that was the mentality of the boys as well like we went shallow respects uncle chippy lost a big emotional week for us but the team acknowledged you know at some point we have to start picking it up again so a really good energy team went for breakfast this morning together as well so um yeah i got no no doubt uh whatsoever that the boys will be up for tomorrow just on the last one uh just on your side um they could just look at that little fingers for that i know something about you and the coaches, but since Danny Wilson's left, four years ago, you guys beat him in April of 2022, but from there, you guys haven't had that four victories of you guys. Just in terms of your battle, Frank, how do you see that so far? I mean, he's an up-hand on you.

Thanks for having me been here. Thanks for that. I haven't crossed my mind. There's no luck with Dobbo vs. Jake.

I know we lost four in a row. They put us out of the last two tournaments, but I haven't even thought about anything to me and franko smith whatsoever i think yeah they've done really well to beat us and we've lost uh one game in cinema which was probably one of the most disappointing ones in scotts tune i think we've really gone toe to toe and just got blown out the last couple of minutes in tough circumstances so no we'd like to beat them very much but i don't think there's a coaching element to it unless i'm mr mr misunderstanding something um if you look at if you look at the composition of the team um there must be a sense of excitement for you for this for this weekend as well looking um at the players you are throwing into the mix uh meets the potential combinations that that can work for you guys and how do you see that yeah i think that you i like what you're saying about the about the combinations i mean obviously coming on kubus and right of those loose forwards established combination done really well first of season and there with paul i think andre look i mean losing jd is a big drive for us uh you know a lot of our success in the in the early parts was based on the lock roster you know where you could start with saman and ruben and then i think if you could bring on jd she killing address smith on 45 minutes you our front row i think i said this to a couple weeks our front row doesn't really matter which our stocks are so good there it doesn't really matter but uh and i think and i think uh yeah like down in ruin probably the most expensive experience i don't know if i've ever taken mike on that one more game one more game for john and jock or the redden marius the girls like um yeah i see about the wing the wing has just been an issue for us you know with with subela and yeah some challenges for layman just every time we sort of think we've come right then there's another weak setback and now hopefully it's another good game for the 23s but yeah cars at the back i'm very happy with the team i think marcus is yeah i don't want to overhype him but there's something special there you know there's really there really is something special so we had to go five five three i think it's exciting team and we put ourselves under pressure you know last week weekends it was a horrible week and you know tuesday wasn't easy easy easy either um it was a terrible yeah often when you're in those times you're like a crayfish in a pot you know whether it's the frog in the parts you don't realize you think every night okay we got through today but then when you see you know i'm not going on that road again but you know if you see it before kickoff you watch storm was unfiltered which i think is a great production you see the state sashes in before that game i must be what 30 seconds before kickoff uh and he's not the only one by any stretch of imagination then uh then to ask them to go through that and to come as close as they did in terms of but I was right, the freakish things at the end. But sorry, so hopefully tomorrow we've got a little bit of that negative, I don't mean that, that sort of heavy emotion maybe, a little bit less, and then some nice combinations and a team that really wants to, it was a terrible, terrible experience. I know it's inconsequential compared to Chippy's death, but then lose it. And then to have Chippy, to have Nina and Pearl and Chad in the change room and that he wanted to have won the game and say, you know, he did this for Chippy and it's been a really, really, really tough time.

And hopefully from Wednesday, as we answered, we've lightened it and we can see a bit of a spring in our step. I think what I, sorry, maybe a long answer about it, but, you know, some of that stuff we tried on the weekend, it was almost like the guys were trying to score for Chippy Cookie, you know, quick throw-ins or a couple of extra passes and that sort of stuff. And if we can have a bit more cold-bloodedness and less of the emotion and desperation, I think that'll give us a bit of chance of winning it. And then just, I know you probably won't get too much away, but we're shifting in the second half, especially when you want to bring on Marcus. Others that potentially look you spoken about pushing Sash out to 12 and having Urias then all there So there going to be a bit of switching around if I look into it correctly Yeah, there are various options.

So, yeah, obviously Sash can go to the back. Ruan can go into 12. Marcus can go there. Sash can go into 12. Marcus can go to 13.

know everyone's playing a lot of rugby um i think our plan for marcus would tomorrow would be you know just give him some experience somewhat suggesting you know it's probably not the first gone you know what i mean uh uh you know if you're you go let's say we get guys guys down early yuri on 15 no issue whatsoever uh dan goes early the same thing you know said gaza gaza 12 uh i'd say session to 12. but our plan would be to get him on with it yuri whether ron moves into that would probably be the plan. I want him to have 10 or 15 minutes at a high level and then he's a stormer. I don't want him to go off to the Senate 20 championships. We're going to carry a cup and he hasn't had this experience.

And just lastly, the composition of the Glasgow team, obviously you couldn't read too much into last week's Lions game. Just what are you expecting there? I don't think the team's announced yet, but the, um, look, they made it clear about last week's selection. You can't read anything to last week. That's going to be full metal jacket.

I think it's one of those games, I know it's one and two on the log, so it's an eight or ten point log point swing. You know, either they go, you know what I mean? It's on a swing. So they've identified this game clearly. It's also a much easier place as we saw last week.

Watch Conor tomorrow. This is a much easier place to play for the Northern MSP teams. It is up in the Park. This is a proper proper game tomorrow. Harry, there was just the balance on the bench.

Obviously Conor and Gary got into consideration. Tempted to have them in their reserve bank. The way we saw the trial against the 23s, Yeah. Just his presence is amazing. So probably...

Yeah, we want to get KK in. Marcel's actually a brilliant Kudana caller. So, yeah, that's the reason we wanted... Sorry, KK, we had to. The stocking power is important against Glasgow.

What he can do in the last 15, 20 minutes, you're right, you saw that try towards the back end of that game. So KK in, and then we needed another line-out option. We could have gone with Conor, but Rita felt confident in Marcel's line-out ability. He can call a line-out very well. Our plan is to give Conor 1-1 in 23 games so that he's fully, fully fit because with J.

D. out for the season, he's going to be very important to come Alston that. So rather than giving 15 minutes off the bench or 20 minutes off the bench this week, we want to give him 1-1 in 23 games. It was a big debate, Ari. It wasn't a right or wrong.

Ideally, we put it on 6-2 but then we thought that's not going to be fair on Marcus if somebody goes in the first minute. The other option was to go 6-2, put Achiever, then Achiever cut a wing, which was just an option because he's played so much there for wrestling. But we haven't trained with him enough. So yeah, I think this has been one of those games hindsight whether we were right or wrong. Just one, just spooky.

Just mentally, sometimes you lose like last weekend, you want to play on a Sunday, on a Monday almost. you feel like you're getting like the customer vibes back speaking of control and standing closer to the gala it's more in your control there it felt out of control last week yeah definitely i think um especially losing it in the manner that we did you know uncharacteristically from us you know conceding those tries there so i definitely think this team has got to drive uh you know we got the will we obviously want to bring the trophy back home you know so and the boys are really eager it was a good week on the field preparation wise conversations that we had so um you know like i said that so there's a really good energy and i'm yeah i've got no doubt come tomorrow that we'll be ready for it but i'm just conscious that you've got frank christmas at one you obviously got to ask him about the big rivalry with the dollar uh then so quickly obviously check this out um you can just speak about how how tough it's been for you um losing blocks and blocks moving away you know someone no no thanks that the it really worked so well for us at the start when we had the four or five, you know, with Conor. And I thought we had a template. It's not an original thought. I mean, there's been a lot of experience for a while.

But, you know, when you go to the 6-2 and you put two loose forwards on the bench, which is the traditional model for 6-2, isn't it? Then when you go to high engine guys like Evan Roos Peter Dixon and Porter Villiers are not guys you easily taking off So one of those loose forwards is largely sitting there with the two locks because those locks do get tired I mean, with Munster's a great example. Bayon's another great example. We brought Adre and I don't think many clubs in the world have the ability to bring Adre Smith or JD Schickling off the bench to make that sort of difference. And I don't think it's coincidental that I'll sort of dip around the shot was when obviously Moon and Ruben were gone.

You know what I mean? And Conor is a guy who's going to come and we have to really develop Conor quickly now. But that was a big blow for us. And that's probably a poor decision by me in that don't do that model unless you've got six because of injuries, you know what I mean? Rather than have the double injury and then you actually haven't got the option.

So you have to change our sort of thinking a bit. but thank gosh Ruben came back this week and Saman will be back at least for the quarter final, possibly for Cardiff Do you feel there's a SOS or there's an issue because obviously you lost someone is going away too spin-offs do you feel that you will have an extra guy coming in or sell a few? Yeah, the thing is look, I didn't expect Saman to go so i didn't expect saman i didn't want saman to go now but the opportunity just you know if you take on a calculator and realize what that can do that's why we because you're still under contract we're within our rights to keep him but i think it's who we are um so that we you know if we think you know i thought at the start of the season i used to boast quite a lot about our lock roster you know i thought it was one of the best i think our front row roster is fantastic now i used to boast about our lock roster and uh it's obviously not thinner now connor and gary have to step up i won't like it look we are looking but you don't want to bring in a journeyman you don't want to bring in a guy that what do you say to conor or gary if you bring in i don't name a person because it's a bit disrespectful to an average lot and there's nothing out there the guy comes in has to be saman or rubens level yeah and that's not easy to find especially this late because the saman release was late you know it was march you know that's that's a conversation that should be happening in July or August last year to get the right person. There is one guy we're chatting to, but I mean, I won't, I can't tell you the name, but it's, you know, well, there's one guy we're chatting to, but I have to be aware, very, very cautious around the guys in the system. And also there's Riley Norton, we think is good.

He's going to come and we like, and you can move BJ in. And, you know, you might say, listen, okay, let's keep Chooks in the mix for longer. Or, you know, don't forget coming back, first time back, Kiki, I know he's another seven. Ruan Ackerman will be back next year. So we could also just say to BJ, listen, next year you're going to play lock.

But we are having a look at one another. But it has to be a difference maker. It's just rude and wrong to the project to bring in somebody. So Connor, yeah, that's worth it. Be careful.

Yeah, I'm done with that, Steven. Yes, Steven. Thanks, Mikey. Dabba, is Dion injured or are you arresting him? uh dion's you know this i shall i'll show you please it's a good you know so we we thought one of the ways qataris point about the configuration of the bench uh one of the options to get us the extra forward on the bench was for dion to cover hooker and uh you know that would have because jj's come out from a neck injury which is not ideal so you put dion as reserve hooker and Dion's trained up.

He came to us yesterday and just said, listen, and at first I was coached, normally you get the players coming up your door, why aren't I playing? Why did I only get 20 minutes? Or what's my plans? Dion came in and said, listen, this is not a game. In the interest of the team, I don't think I should play this game.

I think it's a very high set piece game. I think Jojo's throwing is in a better space than mine. I'll get it right. Because we denounced the team, to the team, with Dion on the bench. and he came in and said, listen, in the interest of the team, I think you should go for JJ.

And that, I think, just speaks, because Dion wants to play every minute of every game. I think if he can show, and you might laugh at me now, if he can show the world that he can still play hooker, he might have even chances of daring to dream. And the fact that he stands down at his expense is remarkable credit to that play. So Dion is stood down by himself. Thank you.

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