Another dominant performance and another rout for Stormers

The DHL Stormers continued their impressive start to the season with another dominant performance as they outplayed the Scarlets 34-0 in their third round Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash in Llanelli on Friday night.

The Stormers have, in the past, made slow starts to their campaigns which have forced them to play catch-up, but this year it is turning out completely different for them as they head into next week’s fourth round having dropped only one possible point from the available 15 in their first three matches.

They clinched the bonus-point try when Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu drove over out wide on the left in the 65th minute, but in truth, the full house of log points looked inevitable from an early stage as there was no phase of the game that the Stormers did not dominate from the start.

Indeed, if there was any negative about the Stormers’ performance, it was that they were not much more than 17-0 up at halftime after an opening 40 minutes in which they dominated territory and possession and also forced their opponents to concede a phenomenal 15 penalties. In an entire match that would be a lot of penalties, in one half, it was ridiculous.

LAKER'S DOUGHNUT EXPENDITURE INCREASES

Stormers defence coach Norman Laker should be happy, and not just because this was the second game in three starts that his team whitewashed their opponents. The line-speed of the Stormers' defensive system was also highly impressive, and it meant that with the Scarlets already mostly outgunned at forward, they had little space to breathe as their opponents swarmed all over them.

It meant that even when the Scarlets did have possession, which they managed to get a bit more of in the third quarter, they still frequently lost ground while attempting to launch their attacks. Laker will have to dip into his pocket to pay for a round of doughnuts on Monday, something he does when the Stormers ape the rugby equivalent of soccer’s clean sheet, and at this rate he might have to adjust the type of doughnuts he buys because expensive ones could end up making him the poorest defence coach, from a financial aspect that is, in the league.

The stats don’t lie, and they are impressive for the Stormers from every viewpoint - in three games, they have scored 95 points and conceded just 10 - the two tries they gave away against the Ospreys last week.

What made this win impressive was that it was overseas, and was in fact only their second win away from South Africa in 12 months. Next week, they are in Italy for games against Benetton and Zebre, and on their current form will fancy their chances.

No. 8 Evan Roos was man of the match and scored his fourth try of the season to get the scoreboard rolling for the Stormers in the 11th minute. Feinberg-Mngomezulu wasn’t at his impeccable best with his place-kicking, and neither with his discipline as he was yellow-carded in the second half, and although he kicked his first conversion, he missed his first penalty attempt in the 14th minute.

CAPE TEAM’S MAULING HAS BEEN EXCELLENT

Somehow though, given the Stormers’ complete dominance at forward, it looked unlikely to matter, and he soon had another opportunity that he kicked. Somehow Scarlets stayed in the game, with a bit of help from a yellow card to Ben-Jason Dixon, who was sanctioned for a neck roll, until the stroke of halftime, which was when Paul de Villiers dotted down from an impressive driving maul.

The Stormers’ mauling and the manner in which they are able to out-wrestle opponents has been a feature of their season so far, and it was some good pick and goes that sent in Ruben van Heerden for the team’s third try after 56 minutes that turned the 17-0 advantage at halftime to 24-0 with Damian Willemse’s conversion.

Willemse took the kick because Feinberg-Mngomezulu was off the field at the time after being carded for putting his hands in the ruck not long after he’d conceded a penalty, and then Feinberg-Mngomezulu hit the post with the attempted conversion to his own try a few minutes later.

FOURIE'S INJURY THE ONE DOWNER

Reserve scrumhalf Imad Khan scored the fifth try when he went over untouched from a scrum that was set after the Scarlets were reduced to 14 men for the second time in the match (Taine Plumtree had been carded in the first half) and Wandisile Simelane could have set up a sixth but was hauled in after making an intercept off the last move of the game. It was one of a few missed opportunities for the Stormers on the night, but suggesting they should work on being more clinical might come across as churlish, given how strong their performance was and how well their start to the season has gone.

If there was a down note for the Stormers, it was the sight of Deon Fourie, who came on as a second replacement, being helped from the field. It didn’t look good for the likeable veteran Bok. But that’s not what you’d say about the Stormers overall after three successive Friday night wins.

SCORES

STORMERS 34 - Tries: Evan Roos, Paul de Villiers, Ruben van Heerden, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu; Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2 and Damian Willemse; Penalty: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

SCARLETS 0