It is the biggest game in the Stormers' history, coach John Dobson concurred on the eve of their United Rugby Championship final against Munster on Saturday.
The teams clash at Cape Town Stadium and such is the buzz here it is difficult to rile against organisers' use of the term 'Grand Final'.
The Stormers of course played the Bulls in front of 31,000 people last year but this year they are keen to assert themselves in front of a wider audience.
“For what it has done for rugby here, yes,” said Dobson when asked if it is the biggest game in their history. “And it is great that it is against a team with such a proud tradition like Munster. I don't say anything like this has happened in Super Rugby,” said Dobson.
Captain Steven Kitshoff, who will be playing his last game for the franchise, for now, before joining Ulster, concurred it ranks among the most august occasions for the Stormers.
Record URC crowd
That the match will be decided in front of a record 55,000 sell-out URC attendance of course contributes to the sense of occasion.
Dobson called it a brilliant gesture by the URC to make tickets affordable. At the time tickets went on sale the cheapest ticket was the equivalent of three euros but the rand has since tanked which means the 5,000 travelling Munster supporters potentially got their tickets for less than a pint of Guinness.
“I took umbrage to people saying we sold three euro tickets. We could have sold R1,000 tickets and we would have sold out a few times over. If we did that the crowd would have looked a lot different.”
Dobson said the goodwill they build now will manifest itself at the start of next season.
“If people say tickets sold at three euros to get a sell-out, it is wrong. It shows a lack of understanding of where we are in the world in a really tough economic climate with an unemployment rate of close to 50%.”
Close to the people
Generating so much interest and enthusiasm however, is a double-edged sword. Dobson said they want to stay close to the people but admits they now harbour massive fear. “The city has just embraced rugby like I've never seen. The only pressure on us is the way the people have embraced this. And we don't want to let them down.
“There is a vibe in the city. You can see it at Checkers in Durbanville, primary school kids in Kirstenhoff wearing Stormers kit today. We just don't want to let these people down.”
Perhaps a little contradictory, Dobson suggested in some ways the Stormers have already accomplished their mission for the season. “We had this vision about what we want to do with rugby in Cape Town. We in a large degree have achieved that. We did what we set out to do at the start of the season.”
He said when they wrote their goals for the season winning the URC was not one of them.
“That is a lot easier said in practice. The truth is we are desperate to win. It would be a little hollow if we didn't. The cold logic has given way to high levels of emotion, anxiety and enthusiasm.”
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