Dobson downplays Stormers' hot streak: 'We're probably not as good as some of the praise we got'

The Capetonians will tackle the Lions in Johannesburg this weekend on the back of three impressive results.

They started the year with a 30-26 win over the Bulls in Pretoria, followed by a 22-22 draw against the Sharks in Durban, before usurping their coastal rivals 20-10 in Cape Town last weekend.

That leaves the Stormers 10th on the overall standings and top of the South African Shield.

However, Dobson is wary ahead of their trip to Ellis Park as the Stormers were beaten badly at home by the Lions (37-19) on 4 December last year.

"It's a very important game for lots of reasons," Dobson told reporters in an online media briefing on Wednesday.

"In terms of the South African Conference, it is critical. We also know that we lost a home game convincingly to the same team and in terms of the South African Conference the only way we could make up for that is if we win away, so that's really important to us.

"It's also important for us with the point of view that we do go on the road in two weeks' time with a really hard fixture in Connacht.

"It's a very important game for us result-wise in the overall competition and in terms of what happened at Cape Town Stadium because that was a major disappointment for us."

Dobson also warned his players not to be overconfident after the recent successes.

"It's also important for us that we keep growing. We got a lot of plaudits for the last few weeks, but we can't let that go to our heads.

"We are probably not as good as some of the praise we got. I think we are still very much a work in progress and what we want to do is make a statement to get better every week.

"Last week was not the finished product by any stretch and that is why we also want to get better this week."

Captain Steven Kitshoff sa