Siya Kolisi's eagerly anticipated return to the Stormers ended in a narrow 17-13 defeat to Edinburgh at the Hive Stadium on Friday night, as two second-half converted tries from the hosts denied the World Cup-winning captain a winning second debut.
The Cape Town franchise struggled to impose themselves in testing conditions, with their lineout proving particularly problematic throughout the contest. Edinburgh capitalised on the visitors' set-piece frailties to claim a crucial URC round-two victory, leaving Dobson's charges with work to do as they assess the opening weeks of the campaign.
Kolisi's presence could not prevent the Stormers from faltering when it mattered most. Despite a solid defensive effort led by captain Ruhan Nel, the South African side lacked cutting edge in attack and conceded costly turnovers at critical moments. Seabelo Senatla provided a rare bright spot with a relentless performance on the wing, though his sin-binning for a professional foul compounded the visitors' difficulties.
The Stormers' young fly-half Yaqeen Ahmed faced a stern examination in his second start, battling both the elements and a misfiring lineout that starved him of quality possession. His line-kicking into the wind yielded little ground, and while he avoided catastrophic errors, the platform provided by the forwards left much to be desired. Stefan Ungerer kicked intelligently from the base before being replaced early in the second half, but the damage had already been done.
Lineout woes prove costly
The decision to deploy Hacjivah Dayimani at the front of the lineout in the first half backfired, forcing Dobson to abandon the tactic as Edinburgh's pressure mounted. The set-piece malfunction restricted the Stormers' ability to build phases and denied them the territorial control required to trouble a well-organised home defence.
With Kolisi now reintegrated into the squad, the Stormers will need to address their structural issues swiftly if they are to mount a credible challenge in the URC. The narrow margin of defeat offers some encouragement, but the performance raised more questions than it answered. Dobson's next selection will be scrutinised closely as the franchise seeks to arrest an underwhelming start to the season.