Stormers head coach Robbie Fleck hailed his side’s mental strength after they fought back to beat the Blues 30-22 at Newlands on Friday.
Having lost their last four games and at 19-10 down at the start of the second half, the hosts clawed their way back to seal the victory.
Tries from Siya Kolisi, Dillyn Leyds and Sikhumbuzo Notshe saw the Stormers run out winners and Fleck was delighted with the spirit shown.
“At 19-0 our backs were against it and that is when I thought we really started to play,” the coach told the Stormers’ official website.
“They scored early in that second half and all of a sudden the team kicked into gear and started to execute our gameplan.
“We were more aggressive on defence and definitely finished off the stronger team, I felt our conditioning came through at the end there.
“The mental aspect was our biggest challenge over the last two weeks, but we always believed in what we can do.”
The win was their second against New Zealand opposition this season and Fleck believes being back on home soil helped lift his charges.
“It obviously gives us a bit of a boost playing in front of our fans at DHL Newlands, but every New Zealand team is tough to beat,” he said.
“It just gives the guys a bit of belief, I think we finished really strong and we were fit. It is just the mental side of playing under fatigue and making decisions under pressure.
“We have played the top six sides so it has been a tough time for us, we have had to really dig deep and work hard.”
Next up for the Stormers is a visit to the Sharks and Fleck believes his side will be in good spirits for that game after Friday’s win.
“It does give the boys a bit of confidence, but the focus now is on the Sharks,” he added.
“The focus won’t change regardless of the opposition. The Sharks present different challenges to Kiwi sides but we have chosen our path and we are going to continue with that rout.”
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