Stormers blank Scarlets in Euro opener
MATCH REPORT: The Stormers opened their three-match European tour with a bonus-point win, beating Scarlets 34-0 in Llanelli on Friday.
Although it was not a perfect performance, the Stormers solidified their URC contenders’ credentials as they kept another team scoreless this season.
*To recap all the action CLICK HERE!!!
The Stormers headed into the fixtures full of confidence following a comprehensive 35-0 victory against Leinster and a 26-10 win against the Ospreys at Cape Town Stadium.
On top of that, the Cape Town franchise also had Springboks Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (No.10) and Damian Willemse (No.15) back in their ranks.
It was always going to be a tough battle for the Scarlets, who are at the bottom of the table after their defeat to Zebre in the opening round and the postponement of their match against Connacht last week.
One aspect that worked very well for the Stormers was their set-piece.
For the Scarlets, it was a brave show in defence, but their penalty count let them down.
Evan Roos, Paul de Villiers, Ruben van Heerden, Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Imad Khan were the scorers, while the flyhalf also added seven points with the boot and Willemse contributed with a conversion.
Stormers were well in control in the opening minutes of the game, piling on pressure with their set-piece. They had a chance to register the first points on the board after a great scrum, but Feinberg-Mngomezulu missed the penalty kick.
The visitors finally broke the deadlock in the 10th minute. Evan Roos dived over the line for the first try of the evening and his fourth try of the season following a powerful maul.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu added the conversion for 7-0.
He missed his second penalty minutes later but made sure to find the post in the 17th minute, handing his team a 10-0 lead.
Scarlets really struggled to keep up, conceding multiple penalties which allowed Stormers to gain momentum.
The visitors had a scrum in the five, and Roos barged over in hopes of his second. However, the No.8 was held up, and the score remained 10-0.
Stormers had numerous chances but failed to convert, and it got even more frustrating for them when they went down to 14 men after Ben-Jason Dixon was handed a yellow card for a crock roll.
Soon Scarlets also went down to 14 men, with Taine Plumtree receiving his marching order for retaliation after a late tackle by Roos.
While it was not a very exciting match, tension was certainly high.
On the brink of halftime, Stormers opted for touch, and another effective maul saw Paul de Villiers score the five-pointer.
The 23-year-old flyhalf added the extras for a 17-0 lead at the break.
Having failed to score any points in the first stanza, Scarlets returned to the field with intent. They had more possession and put in some good phases of play.
The Scarlets had the momentum and the Stormers went down to 14 men again this time Feinberg-Mngomezulu received a yellow card.
But despite the numerical disadvantage, the Stormers bagged their third try, Ruben van Heerden powering over after a maul.
With Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the sin bin, Willemse took over the flyhalf duties and added the conversion for a 24-0 lead.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu certainly made up for his time in the bin as he scooped up a loose ball and went over for the bonus-point try and replacement scrumhalf Imad Khan added the final blow when he slid over for the fifth try after going down the blindside off the back of a dominant scrum.
Man of the match: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu deserves a mention for his performance, but his goal-kicking let him down and the yellow card. Our nod goes to Evan Roos. The No.8 made a big impact on the field. He had a couple of solid carries and also scored a try.
Yellow cards: Ben-Jason Dixon (Stormers, 28 – croc roll), Taine Plumtree (Scarlets, 32 – retaliation), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers, 52 – cynical foul), Macs Page (Scarlets, 72 – cynical foul)
The scorers:
For Scarlets: NONE
For Stormers:
Tries: Roos, De Villiers, Van Heerden, Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Khan
Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2, Willemse
Pen: Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Teams:
Scarlets: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Johnny Williams (captain), 11 Ellis Mee, 10 Joe Hawkins, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Taine Plumtree, 7 Dan Davis, 6 Jarrod Taylor, 5 Max Douglas, 4 Tristan Davies, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Alec Hepburn.
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Sam O’Connor, 18 Archer Holz, 19 Steve Cummins, 20 Ben Williams, 21 Dane Blacker, 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Macs Page.
Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Ruhan Nel (captain), 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 JD Schickerling, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 JJ Kotzé, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 André-Hugo Venter, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Marcel Theunissen, 21 Deon Fourie, 22 Imad Khan, 23 Jurie Matthee.
Referee: Federico Vedovelli (Italy)
Assistant referees: Ben Connor (Wales) & Carwyn Sion (Wales)
TMO: Stefano Penne (Italy)
