UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Leighton Koopman|Published
The Stormers survived a second-half scare to secure a 52-40 United Rugby Championship (URC) victory over the Scarlets in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon, but their defensive frailties and loss of discipline after the break will give coach John Dobson plenty to think about.
Having dominated the first half and stretched their lead to 33-14 at the break, the Stormers took their foot off the gas, allowing the visitors to take control and score four second-half tries to push the home side all the way.
In the end, a late double by replacement flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed sealed the victory, but it was far too close for comfort. The bonus-point win will keep the Stormers among the top four teams in the URC, although they have plenty of room for improvement following that performance.
Yes, they lost senior players such as hooker André-Hugo Venter, who was in an arm sling after the match, replacement Deon Fourie, who limped off with a possible hamstring strain, and loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani to injuries, but that should have rallied the team, especially after their dominance in the first half.
Having made plenty of changes to the squad for this week, it was always going to take time for the players to find each other. That was evident early on, with the Stormers taking more than 10 minutes of sustained pressure before scoring their first try. A clever lineout move and rolling maul fake allowed tighthead Zachary Porthen to power over.
When speedster Seabelo Senatla crossed in the right-hand corner, the same spot where he scored his backflip try in the URC derby against the Sharks, to secure the bonus point, the home team appeared to have the game under control. It was the easiest of tries, with Senatla only having to walk over the whitewash after good work by flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and a slick wide pass from scrumhalf Haashim Pead.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Pead had a hand in several excellent build-ups to Stormers tries, and the duo combined for arguably the best try of the match. It was the Stormers' second score, with a deft linebreak by the flyhalf and a no-look switch pass setting up Pead's five-pointer – his first in a Stormers jersey.
Despite the excellent tries, it was far from a flawless performance. Defensive lapses out wide, coupled with too many knock-ons, kept the Scarlets in the contest and allowed them to cross for two tries in the first half.
The visitors came out firing after the break, and four tries in the second half brought them level at 40-40, leaving the home crowd in a panic during the final 10 minutes. Outside centre Joe Roberts led the visitors' fightback, completing a hat-trick in the second half after scoring their opening try of the match.
The game descended into chaos, with the Stormers suffering several head injuries. With no hooker available with Venter, Fourie and replacement hooker Lukhanyo Vokozela, the teams switched to uncontested scrums, with lock Adré Smith packing down at prop and replacement loosehead Olly Reid moving to hooker.
The change disrupted the scrum momentum the Stormers had built and gave the Scarlets a sniff of victory. However, the home side eventually overcame the chaos to secure a valuable win at DHL Stadium – their third in a row at the venue.
Points scorers
Stormers 52 (33): Tries: Zachary Porthen, Haashim Pead, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Seabelo Senatla, Deon Fourie, Olly Reid, Yaqeen Ahmed (2). Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (6). Scarlets 40 (14): Tries: Joe Roberts (3), Ioan Jones, Macs Page, Josh Macleod. Conversions: Carwyn Leggatt-Jones (4).