Stormers coach Dobson chuffed with excellence of his 'written-off' team

Stormers coach John Dobson said Heineken Champions Cup qualification for his once 'written-off' side is more than an attainable goal.

With the Stormers narrowly, but deservedly beating the Bulls 19-17 in their United Rugby Championship clash at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, the Cape side has now moved one point clear at the top of the South African conference.

Crucially, being in fifth-place means they qualify for the Heineken Champions Cup, a privilege reserved for the top seven teams in the 15-team group.

URC Log Standings

The Sharks are sixth behind the Stormers, which means if those sides win their remaining games, they've got every chance of controlling their qualification and playoff destinies.

Dobson said he was chuffed that they've been able to look after themselves in this manner and also recognised the importance of being in the Heineken Champions Cup from a financial perspective.

"I am pleased with where we are standing on the log, especially for a team that was written off and not highly thought off by our opponents," Dobson said.

"I think what we want to do as a reasonable goal is to win our conference and qualify for the Champions Cup.

"What is critical is that we qualify for the Heineken Cup and that's a more than a realistic goal for where we are now.

We're clawing back some respect for this union, so it's important from a financial perspective that we play in the Heineken Cup."

Since losing 37-19 to the Lions at the end of last year, the Stormers have won eight out of their past 10 games.

READ | Stormers see off Bulls to cement top spot in SA's URC conference

That excellent sequence of results includes a double over the Bulls, an away win over the Lions, along with a draw and a win against the Sharks.

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