CAPE TOWN – The Stormers sit at the summit of the United Rugby Championship table following a commanding 48-12 victory over Glasgow Warriors in at the DHL Stadium on Saturday.
John Dobson’s side delivered an impressive performance in what had been described as a must-win match by the Stormers management all week.
The home team played excellent rugby throughout and showed great intensity, with both backs and forwards performing well. Fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu orchestrated proceedings brilliantly.
Hosts in control
The Stormers took the lead after five minutes when Feinberg-Mngomezulu kicked a penalty from 40 metres following a Glasgow ruck infringement.
The home side started strongly and were soon attacking again. This led to a superb try for Ntuthuko Mchunu, who powered over from a tap kick after some neat handling from fellow prop Neethling Fouché.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted to make it 10-0 after 10 minutes.
Three minutes later, the lead grew to 17-0 as Mchunu scored his second try from a rolling maul. Glasgow’s problems worsened when Jack Dempsey was yellow-carded for deliberately trying to bring down the maul.
The Stormers continued to control possession and territory, though Glasgow remained dangerous in attack. However, their discipline was poor at times.
This was evident in the 25th minute when Sione Tuipulotu broke through the Stormers defence but was caught 10 metres short.
Quick recycling allowed Glasgow to find Ollie Smith on the left wing, and he cut inside three defenders to score an unconverted try, reducing the deficit to 17-5.
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SFM magic
Three minutes later, the Stormers launched their own long-range attack. Ruhan Nel gathered a loose ball from a Glasgow kick, found Cobus Reinach, who fed Feinberg-Mngomezulu. The fly-half then sent Evan Roos away for his 11th try of the season.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted to extend the lead to 24-5.
Glasgow did most of the attacking for the remainder of the half. The Stormers were reduced to 14 men when Cobus Reinach was sin-binned for being offside whilst Glasgow were in the red zone.
From the resulting lineout, Glasgow’s maul finally worked, with hooker Gregor Hiddleston scoring a converted try. The teams went to half-time with the Stormers leading 24-12.
The second half began well for the Stormers. Paul de Villiers won a breakdown penalty, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu kicked the points to make it 27-12.
Glasgow’s dangerous backs continued to threaten, with a long-range break putting them on the Stormers tryline. However, they lost possession, and Adam Hastings was yellow-carded for a shoulder-to-head contact on André-Hugo Venter.
A moment of magic from Feinberg-Mngomezulu secured the Stormers’ bonus-point try. The fly-half produced a perfect grubber kick into the corner for captain Ruhan Nel to collect and score.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu then nailed a difficult touchline conversion to make it 34-12 in the 49th minute.
History made
The match became scrappy from that point, with both teams suffering from poor discipline.
Cape Town Stadium erupted in the 67th minute when 18-year-old Markus Müller, the youngest-ever Stormers player, entered the field.
The Stormers sealed victory in the 72nd minute. A powerful scrum gave them the platform for Roos to feed Imad Khan, who found Feinberg-Mngomezulu. The fly-half glided over for a converted try, making it 41-12.
A final try followed from another strong maul, with Keke Morabe touching down. Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted to complete a 48-12 victory with two minutes remaining.
It was a statement win for the Stormers, who showed exactly what they can achieve when everything clicks into place.
SOURCE: KickOff
