Stormers captain Ruhan Nel says his side were motivated by what he viewed as disrespectful criticism following their loss to Connacht, as they bounced back with a commanding 48-12 victory over Glasgow in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday.
Speaking after the match, both Nel and coach John Dobson said the criticism they received in the build-up to the Glasgow fixture had stung, particularly given the circumstances surrounding their previous performance.
The death of Stormers manager Chippie Solomon played a significant role in the team’s preparation before the Connacht match, and Nel said the criticism that followed that loss fuelled the Cape-based side to turn things around.
“I feel like we were really, really put under the pump after we lost [to Connacht],” Nel said. “And by all means, we embrace criticism. We play on a public platform, but I just feel like the lack of respect, the lack of understanding there was towards the team, considering the situation, and what we went through, I think that also was part of the motivation this week.”
Nel said the criticism angered the squad, with some players receiving abusive direct messages on social media.
“There’s no protection for us from social media, the keyboard warriors out there. There was just no respect, no understanding, I felt,” he said. “They were giving it, there were guys in the squad who were getting DMs, like terrible things they were getting.
“So I just think that we just drew a line in the sand, the lack of respect or understanding about what the team was going through. It’s not about them; we didn’t want to prove them wrong. It’s about us. We owed ourselves that performance.”
Dobson agreed with his captain, saying people did not understand what the team had experienced with Solomon’s death.
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“I just want to emphasise what Ruhan said. We got a lot of criticism for the Connacht performance, but to understand what this team was going through, what Chippie meant to us and to this organisation… to expect those guys to perform normally, listen, we messed it up, we did an intercept and everything like that,” Dobson said.
“But to read, the Stormers’ slide continues… We came here, our manager died, we played poorly in the circumstances against Connacht. It’s just a lack of humanity in my mind around these players, the pressure they were under.”
Dobson referenced the team’s “Stormers unfiltered” content, saying player Sascha was “inconsolable” moments before kick-off against Connacht.
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“Chippie was such a big part of our lives. I actually didn’t appreciate it [the criticism], so I’ll admit where I’m wrong. So I just want to emphasise, agree with what Ruhan said, [I] really feel for the players,” Dobson said.
The Stormers now head overseas for their final two league matches against Ulster on 8 May and Cardiff on 15 May.
SOURCE: KickOff
