Stormers rout hapless Cheetahs
The Stormers cemented their place as the South African conference leaders with a comprehensive 42-12 rout of a hapless Cheetahs outfit at Newlands on Saturday.
The five-tries-to-two victory also saw them move into second place on the global standings.
For the Cheetahs, who said goodbye to their long-standings coaches Naka Drotské and Os du Randt on this sad note, there awaits a lot of work – with Franco Smith coming in from Monday.
The Cheetahs remain rooted to the bottom of the SA Conference and 13th overall.
The hosts scored five tries to one, with South African Sevens star Seabelo Senatla crossing for two first-half tries.
The Stormers' other tries came from inside centre Damian de Allende, tighthead prop Vincent Koch and replacement flank Sikhumbuzo Notshe, who showed great feet and speed for his five-pointer.
Koch's try, in the 64th minute, sealed the bonus point for the Stormers in a near-flawless performance by the host team.
It was the Stormers' 10th victory of the season – only the Hurricanes have won more matches than them in 2015.
Unlike some of their more recent performances the Stormers were clinical in their approach and dominated their opponents in all facets of play.
The Stormers' scrum was once again a dominant factor, while their normally disfunctional line-out showed a marked improvement.
The dreadlocked 22-year-old Senatla has quickly adjusted to the 15-a-side code, after finishing leading 2015 Sevens World Series try-scorer with 43, and a nomination for player of the season.
He used power and pace to score his first-half tries at Newlands stadium while South African conference leaders Stormers moved within four points of clinching first place and a top-three finish.
Stormers complete their league season with two more South African derbies – at home to the Lions next Saturday and away to the Sharks in Durban a week later.
One more victory would lift the Cape Town outfit to 47 points, and out of the reach of their two challengers, the Lions and three-time champions the Bulls.
Stormers' victory was laid around two predictable foundations – flawless goal-kicking by flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis and a potent scrum.
Ultra-calm and methodical in his pre-kick routine, the playmaker did not miss a shot at goal, slotting four conversions and three penalties for a 17-point contribution.
Catrakilis lies second on the scorers chart this season, 13 points behind Bulls flyhalf Handré Pollard and 14 ahead of Highlanders' playmaker Lima Sopoaga.
Even the early loss of injured hooker Siyabonga Ntubeni did not dilute the strength of the Stormers' scrummaging with replacement Bongi Mbonambi and props Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch dominant.
A heavy defeat was a sad climax to eight years as Cheetahs coach for former Springboks hooker Naka Drotské, whose squad has been ravaged by injuries to key players.
The Cheetahs trailed after only four minutes and were on the backfoot apart from a brief mid-first-half spell which produced one of their two tries, from loose forward Johannes Prinsloo off a driving maul after a line-out.
Man of the match: Not many Cheetahs, with the loose trio of Henco Venter, Johannes Prinsloo and Tienie Burger having made a mountain of tackles – making close in 50 between them. Damian de Allende had a storming first half, breaking tackles at will, but seemed to lose his momentum after the break. Juan de Jongh also had a big game, while props Vincent Koch and Steven Kitshoff were monsters in the scrums and doing the hard yards around the park. Our award goes to Stormers flank Nizaam Carr, who looked pure Springbok – taking his tackle count well into double figures, contributing in the line-outs and making plenty of metres with his 11 carries.
The scorers:
For the Stormers:
Tries: Senatla 2, De Allende, Koch, Notshe
Cons: Catrakilis 4
Pens: Catrakilis 3
For the Cheetahs:
Tries: Prinsloo, Greeff
Con: Pietersen
Yellow card: Henco Venter (Cheetahs, 48 – foul play, high tackle)
Teams:
Stormers: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain), 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Nizaam Carr, 5 Manuel Carizza, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Oliver Kebble, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Kurt Coleman, 23 Huw Jones.
Cheetahs: 5 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Michael van der Spuy, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Joe Pietersen, 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Henco Venter, 7 Johannes Prinsloo, 6 Tienie Burger, 5 Francois Uys (captain), 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Nicolaas van Dyk, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Danie Mienie.
Replacements: 16 Stephan Coetzee, 17 Burry Uys, 18 Ewald van der Westhuizen, 19 Steven Sykes, 20 Carel Greeff, 21 Sarel Pretorius, 22 Coenie van Wyk, 23 Rayno Benjamin.
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Jason Jaftha (South Africa), Francois Pretorius (South Africa)
TMO: Deon van Blommestein (South Africa)
