Stormers defence coach Norman Laker
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Defence coach Norman Laker has dismissed the idea of an unbeaten United Rugby Championship season as "unrealistic" after the Stormers put themselves back in contention for a home playoff with a win over the Bulls last weekend.
After a bruising period, defined by three demoralising derby defeats against the Sharks and Lions, which derailed their unbeaten record, John Dobson’s men produced a performance of immense character to silence the Loftus crowd with a 32–19 victory over the Bulls.
Despite mounting pressure brought on by the three successive derby defeats, Laker insisted the setbacks were a learning curve rather than a cause for panic.
“You must be naive to think you’re going to go through a URC season without losing a match,” Laker remarked on Tuesday. “The three losses weren’t good enough, but we learned from them and came back much stronger.”
The win catapulted the Stormers from sixth to second on the log, snapping the Bulls' four-match winning streak. Laker highlighted a pivotal second-half sequence where the Stormers survived 20 phases of relentless Bulls pressure without conceding a penalty. “When they didn’t get points there, I knew we were in the right space,” he noted.
Springbok playmaker Damian Willemse attributed the turnaround to improved discipline and the return of "centurion" experience. The inclusion of Deon Fourie, Neethling Fouche, and Ruhan Nel provided the "calmness and physicality" required to navigate the Loftus cauldron.
“We put ourselves under pressure in previous games by conceding penalties in our 22,” Willemse explained. “But the forwards were outstanding in Pretoria; they gave us the set-piece dominance that allowed us to play.”
While the result restores the Stormers' status as title contenders, Laker was quick to shift focus toward Sunday’s clash against the Dragons in Cape Town. “We’ve done the review and moved on. Now it’s about backing it up.”