After seeing his team all shook up in front of Elvis impersonators last weekend, DHL Stormers coach John Dobson admits he is anxious taking on a Zebre team that recorded a stunning 42-33 victory over Munster Rugby.

Dobson’s team suffered a chastening 37-24 Round 2 defeat to the Ospreys at the Brewery Field, where they led 13-3 at one point.

“It was certainly a disappointing result for us,” he said. “They moved us to a club ground in Bridgend. It was tricky, it was windy.

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“It was the world’s biggest Elvis impersonation festival that weekend, in Porthcawl, so there were a lot of Elvises at the game.

“The Ospreys are the best Welsh team. We were playing away on Saturday night in Bridgend watched by Elvis. It sounds like an excuse, but it was a disappointing outcome.

“We thought we had exorcised the ghosts of poor starts to the season in away games, but we clearly haven’t.

“They kicked a lot of contestables on to us, and we were just a bit poor in that second half.

“Our lineouts were great, our scrums were great, our defense was good, but we just turned over too much ball and lost the contestable game.”

Reflecting on the challenge presented by buoyant Zebre, he said: “This is a hell of a long way from a gimme and that’s why I am anxious.

“They are young, Italian and fearless and a tough team to break down. It was a good Munster side they beat.

“You don’t want to play Zebre early on in the season, especially away from home, because they have still got hope and belief.

“Right now, they are on a ride and we are on a precipice.

“We didn’t get any points out of last Saturday, so if we lose to Zebre we will feel like we have a dagger to our throats.

“This is absolutely mission critical for us, otherwise we really are going to be under a lot of pressure. We need this one desperately.”

Credit United Rugby Championship

URC Rugby Schedule For Round 3 Fixtures

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URC Rugby Fixtures Friday, Oct. 4

• 2:35 p.m. ET - Scarlets vs Connacht
• 2:35 p.m. ET - Cardiff vs Glasgow Warriors

URC Rugby Fixtures Saturday, Oct. 5

• 7:45 a.m. ET - Lions vs Edinburgh
• 10 a.m. ET - Vodacom Bulls vs Ulster
• 12:15 p.m. ET - Dragons vs Sharks
• 12:15 p.m. ET - Benetton vs Leinster
• 2:35 p.m. ET - Zebre Parma vs DHL Stormers
• 2:35 p.m. ET - Munster vs Ospreys

URC Standings Table After Round 2

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