Stormers boss John Dobson points finger at Connacht after double injury blow
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Injured.
Stormers boss John Dobson has pointed the finger at Connacht’s artificial surface after losing two players to soft-tissue injuries ahead of their URC opener in Galway on Saturday.
Springbok back-row Evan Roos and Marcel Theunissen were both late withdrawals from the Stormers squad before their 29-15 victory at Dexcom Stadium, having suffered injuries while training in Galway.
Roos picked up a hamstring problem, while Theunissen suffered a calf injury, and Dobson suggested the 4G surface had played a part.
“We’ve sort of had our fears of injury on the 4G realised,” Dobson said ahead of the game.
“Evan Roos and Marcel Theunissen won’t make the game.
“I think we had to make a call a bit earlier, just for the sake of the guys taking their places, that they’re ready rather than get a disruption at warm-up or risk further injury.”
The double blow forced the Stormers into a late reshuffle.
Riley Norton moved into the back-row, Louw Nel switched across to openside, and Gary Porter was promoted into the second-row, while Wandisile Simelane came onto the bench.
Dobson’s comments add to a long-running debate within professional rugby over artificial playing surfaces.
Former Ireland and Leinster flanker Sean O’Brien has previously called for 4G pitches to be removed from the professional game.
“I agree they should be gotten rid of, yeah,” O’Brien previously said.
“They’re great for training in bad weather, I’ll admit that but still – not good for joints, not good for cuts.
“I definitely want to see them gotten rid of anyway, personally. The powers that be will hopefully do something about it. Maybe a hybrid-type style might be a bit better – if we could create something that’s not wrecking people’s legs and joints.
“Hip, knees, everything is a bit sorer after playing on them, because there’s less give obviously on the ground.”
Other players have also expressed concerns over the years, although research into the relationship between artificial surfaces and injuries has not always produced a straightforward conclusion.
Previous research into artificial surfaces has produced a complicated picture. A major study of professional English rugby between 2013 and 2019 found no significant difference in overall injury incidence between artificial and natural or hybrid surfaces, although injuries suffered on artificial pitches had greater overall severity and injury burden.
More recent research published in 2026 has added another dimension to the debate. Examining nine seasons of professional rugby in England, researchers found players faced increased injury incidence and burden when switching playing surfaces from one week to the next, with changing onto an artificial surface associated with a greater risk than changing onto hybrid or natural grass.
That does not establish that Connacht’s surface caused the injuries suffered by Roos and Theunissen, but Dobson clearly believes the circumstances justified concerns the Stormers already held before the game.
