After a damaging home defeat to Connacht — one Dobson attributed to individual errors rather than the emotional weight of losing team manager Chippie Solomons — the Stormers now need to win all three remaining regular-season matches to finish where they want to in the URC standings. That pressure has forced Dobson to confront a selection headache he can no longer paper over: Willemse at wing was always a stopgap, and it can't continue.
With Senatla likely only available for the quarter-finals, the key question is whether Hartzenberg's return gives Dobson enough cover to move Willemse back into a more natural position. Assistant coach Dawie Snyman acknowledged the aerial dimension Willemse brings on the wing — and it's clearly been a factor in keeping him there — but confirmed the coaches are weighing their options ahead of Saturday's top-of-the-table meeting with Glasgow. The piece lays out the selection permutations Dobson is working through and why getting it wrong this week could prove costly.