The Stormers’ brilliant run of form continued on Saturday when they sealed an impressive 32-10 victory over the Lions at Ellis Park.
The Stormers’ brilliant run of form continued on Saturday when they sealed an impressive 32-10 victory over the Lions at Ellis Park.
Durban — The Stormers continued their imperious surge up the United Rugby Championship log on Saturday afternoon with another compelling performance on the road, this time dispatching a hapless Lions team 32-10 at Emirates Airline Park.
The Stormers’ unbeaten run now includes victories over the Bulls and Lions away from Cape Town, a draw with the Sharks in Durban, and a comprehensive victory over the same team in the Cape.
The Cape side are not big on superstars but they are a tight unit and clearly enjoy playing for each other while the Lions are a team in a state of flux under Ivan van Rooyen in that they don’t appear settled on a game plan after the swashbuckling era of Swys de Bruin and Johan Ackermann.
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Key to the Stormers’ rejuvenation is the growing stature of flyhalf Manie Libbok, who first made a name at the Bulls, had a brief tenure at the Sharks, and now seems set for a stellar career in the Cape.
In the forwards, beyond Steven Kitshoff the Stormers are mostly hard-working journeymen but they have a fighting spirit beautifully typified by the veteran Deon Fourie, who is a perpetual nuisance in motion.
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After ten minutes of unsettled play by both sides as they felt each other out like boxers, Libbok kicked the Stormers into the lead after he had been high-tackled by Vincent Tshituka, and ten minutes after that Tiaan Swanepoel closed the opening quarter with a well-taken penalty.
That first quarter saw both teams squander opportunities in the opposition 22, and both were also guilty of surrendering momentum with elementary errors, but you always had the impression that the Stormers were going to burst into attacking life, while you wondered how the Lions could score beyond the rolling maul or the boot of Swanepoel.
What a performance from the DHL Stormers boys to claim a bonus-point win in Joburg. Next mission is @connachtrugby in Galway in a fortnight. #iamastormer #dhldelivers
📸 Anton Geyser pic.twitter.com/EP4hezxujP— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) February 12, 2022
The Stormers have X-factor players aplenty, such as Warrick Gelant, Sergeal Petersen and Damian Willemse, all of whom looked menacing but it was another game-breaker in former Lion Hacjivah Dayimani who broke the game open on the half-hour mark with a lovely solo try which saw the No 8 jink through the defence and then motor to the line.
Five minutes before the break, Lions captain Burger Odendaal was penalised at a ruck but Libbok overcooked his kick to the corner and from the ensuing Lions scrum, Stean Pienaar came in from the blindside wing to scorch 50m before being stopped just short of the tryline. At the ensuing ruck, the Stormers won yet another penalty and again it was the invaluable Fourie who saved the day.
That passage of play summed up where the Lions are as a team — beyond the odd individual break, they play with no cohesion and are ill-disciplined at the breakdown.
And just two minutes into the new half they were again offside at a ruck and Libbok stretched his team’s lead to 13-3.
And that lead blew out by another five points when an excellent kick to the corner by Libbok ultimately saw Senatla finish a fine team try in which many of his teammates handled over the phases. 18-3
Petersen nailed his second in spectacular fashion a few minutes later in what was a neat microcosm of where the two teams are in their respective cycles.
The Lions had enjoyed their first meaningful passage of play and were threatening the Stormers line when they knocked on at the base of a ruck, the ball was scooped up and a brilliant breakout by Gelant eventually saw Petersen clear for a run to the line.
Fittingly, it was the industrious Fourie that scored the bonus-point try after he followed up a neat grubber by Gelant.
Substitute Lions scrumhalf Morne van den Berg scored the proverbial consolation time as time ebbed away but really there is no consolation for the Joburgers after another inept performance.
Scorers
Lions — 10: Tries: Morne van den Berg. Penalty: Tiaan Swanepoel. Conversion: Swanepoel.
Stormers — 32: Tries: Hacjivah Dayimani, Seabelo Senatla (2), Deon Fourie. Penalties: Manie Libbok (2). Conversions: Libbok (3).
