Cape Town — The Stormers secured the bonus-point win with a quick three tries before and after halftime to down Benetton 38-22 in their final United Rugby Championship round-robin match.
It was a much-needed five points for the defending URC champions as they search for the second place on the log and a possible home semi-final.
They already secured a quarter-final at the DHL Stadium that will be contested in two weeks time. After some mixed results coupled with long travels overseas and long hauls back home, the Cape side will now get a needed rest before the URC playoffs.
On Friday in Stellenbosch they still showed a bit of flat-footedness in the first half in the Danie Craven Stadium, with Benetton getting the ascendency early on in the clash.
And although the visitors had the first points in the game, the Stormers never allowed them to hit their straps to pull away from them. Three yellow cards, one to Evan Roos in the first forty and to winger Seabelo Senatla and flanker Hacjivah Dayimani in the second half, also did not put the home side on the backfoot.
What the Stormers have to get rid of, though, is their inability to start quickly. They’ve been good at scoring first and running away with the game for most of the season. But over the last three matches, they started slow according to their standards, allowing their opponents to land the opening blows.
The visitors led 10-5 shortly before halftime thanks to an early penalty goal and a breakout try from their own 22m line, with the Stormers’ only score through winger Angelo Davids after a neat little crossfield kick by flyhalf Manie Libbok.
Flanker Willie Engelbrecht gave the halftime lead (12-10) to the Stormers after he went over the try line, thanks to a brilliant maul by his forwards.
Engelbrecht got his double shortly after the restart of the second half after some heavy words must’ve fallen in the changeroom from head coach John Dobson.
A totally different Stormers side pitched in the second half, and they ran Benetton off their feet just like they’ve been doing to other sides during the season.
The running rugby was coupled with some ferocious rolling mauls that brought tries for hooker JJ Kotze and loose forward Marcel Theunissen.
Fullback Clayton Blommetjies also scored a beautiful try with the backs and forwards working in tandem to get him over.
While Libbok was excellent on the attack, he again missed a couple of kicks and this break will most probably come at the right time for him. The Stormers also have a couple of injury concerns with forwards Ruben van Heerden and Ernst van Rhyn leaving the field early on.
Van Rhyn was the one who replaced the injured van Heerden but left shortly after coming on for him.
Senatla was also carried off on a stretcher after he contested for a high-kick and in the process got a knock to the head. To rub salt in his wounds, he was sent off with a yellow card for his actions.
This win, though, will provide a needed momentum-boost for the team as they look ahead to a home quarter-final at the DHL Stadium.
Their opponents will only be known by the end of the weekend.
Point-scorers
Stormers 38 — Tries: Angelo Davids, Willie Engelbrecht (2), JJ Kotze, Clayton Blommetjies, Marcel Theunissen. Conversions: Manie Libbok (4).
Benetton: 22 — Tries: Alessandro Izekor, Manuel Zuliani. Penalty try. Conversion: Tomas Albornoz
IOL Sport
