Dobbo's Stormers remain undefeated after gritty Treviso win

MATCH REPORT: The Stormers will return to Cape Town undefeated after they beat Benetton 31-16 in Treviso on Saturday.

The result means it is three wins from three outings on tour. In terms of the overall picture, they are five from five in the United Rugby Championship.

Flyhalf Jurie Matthee produced a man-of-the-match performance with a contribution of 21 points.

A strong defensive performance in the second half was another highlight of the Stormers’ first victory in Treviso.

The Stormers forwards were laying the platform in the early stages, and they were rewarded when Sazi Sandi crashed over for a try in the sixth minute.

There was a sad sight for the visitors in the 11th minute when wing Seabelo Senatla hobbled off the field with yet another injury.

It added a bit of pressure with the Capetonians selecting a six-two split between forwards and backs on the bench.

Benetton were on the board in the 15th minute with a Jacob Umaga penalty goal before the flyhalf put his team in front with another one from even further back in the 18th minute.

Not to be outdone, Stormers playmaker Matthee added three points of his own in the 20th minute.

However, the Italians regained the lead in the 30th minute with an excellent try.

It all stemmed from the Stormers’ inability to control the ball in their half before Benetton’s backs showed their skills with ball in hand, with Louis Lynagh being put into space to sprint in for the five points.

Benetton went two scores clear in the 35th minute when Umaga converted another penalty goal.

Stormers captain Ruan Nel thought he scored a try in the 37th minute after the home side failed to deal with a loose ball in their in-goal area. But the match officials ruled that there was simultaneous grounding of the ball and no try was given.

Benetton had the opportunity to have the final say in the half, but Umaga surprisingly could not find the direction with a simple penalty.

The Stormers were five points behind Benetton in the 45th minute, with Matthee adding another three points.

The Capetonians found themselves in front a few minutes later after some brilliant support play between backs and forwards resulted in Matthee slicing through a gap to score a try. He also converted his own score.

The flyhalf made it a five-point lead in the 53rd minute with another penalty.

Benetton thought they had scored another try in the 54th minute when Leonardo Marin finished off some great play down the touchline. However, the TMO spotted a knock-on in the build-up to the score.

Umaga had the opportunity to make it a two-point ball game in the 67th minute, but he pulled another penalty attempt wide.

Instead, Matthee increased the visitors’ lead in the 72nd minute with his fourth penalty goal.

After a brilliant defensive shift, the Stormers ended the match on high with Adre Smith going over for a try in the 80th minute.

Man of the match: The award goes to Stormers flyhalf Jurie Matthee. He contributed 21 points, and it included a try. The playmaker also showed his abilities with ball in hand as he sliced through Benetton’s defence on a couple of occasions.

The scorers:

For Benetton:
Try: Lynagh
Con: Umaga
Pens: Umaga 3

For Stormers:
Tries: Sandi, Matthee, Smith
Cons: Matthee 2
Pens: Matthee 4

Teams:

Benetton: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 12 Leonardo Marin, 11 Ignacio Mendy, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Andy Uren, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (captain), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Riccardo Favretto (captain), 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Siua Maile, 1 Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Giosué Zilocchi, 19 Federico Ruzza, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 So’otala Fa’aso’o, 22 Alessandro Garbisi, 23 Filippo Drago.

Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Vernon Matongo.
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Adré Smith, 20 Ruben van Heerden, 21 Ruan Ackermann, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Wandisile Simelane.

Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy), Luca Bisetto (Italy)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)