'We were blown away': Dobson rues 'flat' Stormers performance after Champions Cup exit

Stormers head coach John Dobson lamented his team’s flat performance at the worst possible moment after they were knocked out of the Champions Cup at the hands of Exeter Chiefs on Saturday night.

Chiefs scored six tries to three and fully merited their 42-17 victory over a Stormers team, known for its attacking verve, that they blanked in the first half (21-0).

Although each scored three touchdowns in the second half, the game was over as a contest as early as the 45th minute when Sam Simmonds strolled over for the hosts' fourth try of the evening.

READ | Stormers' fire extinguished in Exeter as SA's Champions Cup campaign ends with a whimper

"In all the work we did on Exeter prepping for that game, I haven’t seen them play as well as they did in that first 20 minutes for a while," said Dobson.

"I thought they were superb. They literally blew us away. We were entirely flat.

"The way they attacked, their passing, their physicality … I just felt we were on the ropes from minute one. We were very flat but credit to Exeter for the way they played."

The Stormers could not adjust to the windy Sandy Park, battled to keep up with the myriad tackles they were asked to make and their defence folded, as did their handling and set-piece.

They looked leggy, no doubt feeling the effects of a demanding travel schedule that meant they only had one rest day and one training session before facing the 2020 Champions Cup winners.

Dobson pointed to their particularly poor first half, during which the Exeter back three - Olly Woodburg, Tom Wyatt and Jack Nowell - revelled and scored a try each.

"In the first half, every single thing went against us. Everything seemed to go wrong and everything seemed to fall their way. But they deserve credit for the