Stormers mentor Dobson says win over Lions will be 'icing on the cake' to cap off successful year

Stormers coach John Dobson said a win against the Lions in Saturday's United Rugby Championship fixture at the Cape Town Stadium would be the cherry on top of what has been an excellent year for his charges.

The Stormers' last home loss came against the Lions in early December last year, but that defeat became a turning point for Dobson's team.

They embarked on a home-winning run that culminated in them winning the tournament, from where they've still played well in the competition.

Dobson admitted that motivation for the game will be different as compared to the Bulls game that the Stormers won last week.

However, Dobson said they have the responsibility of being better, even though they were comprehensive in their success in the North/South Derby.

"It would be very good because we had that very poor Christmas after the loss to the Lions last year," Dobson said.

"It would be the icing on the cake when one looks at how we've tried to turn things around and the work that the players and the coaches have put in.

"I can tell you that the consequences of losing will be dreadful, so I'd never want to use fear as a motivator.

"It would be a very big high road in terms of setting this record. Last week, there was a lot of talking about the North/South Derby, but that's an occasion that looks after itself.

"This week, we may need to look at our internal drivers, with one of them being better than we were last week."

The Stormers' game has now become the focal point of the sporting festive season in Cape Town with the Proteas being away in Australia.

Cape Town is the home of the New Year's Test, but that game will have to be watched on television as Sydney will be the venue of that game.

Dobson remained excited by the prospect of a New