The 'overplaying' issue as Stormers target next mission on checklist

REACTION: It wasn’t perfect, but the Stormers’ 31-13 win against Zebre has set them up well for three wins on the road from as many attempts with Benetton next in line this coming weekend.

The Capetonians are unbeaten in the United Rugby Championship so far this season, with two home wins and two on overseas soil.

The overseas wins might not seem like a big deal considering the opposition (Scarlets and Zebre) are teams they’ve never lost away to, but considering their woeful overseas record, it’s a steady improvement that could pay off later in the season.

Last season, the Stormers only won three overseas matches in total from seven attempts, which includes their quarterfinal exit against Glasgow Warriors.

The overseas defeats, coupled with a loss to each South African opponent, played a huge part in their season outcome.

Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson, on a few occasions, has mentioned the importance of home play-offs given their strong record at the DHL Stadium.

They’ll travel to Treviso to face Benetton – a team they’ve never beaten away, which will be the next tick off the checklist.

Another positive is that despite a below-par performance against Zebre, they still managed to outscore the Parma outfit by five tries to one.

The Stormers only conceded three tries in four matches this season, and blanked two teams (Leinster and Scarlets) in the process after being one of the worst defensive sides in the competition last season.

Dobson admitted that the performance wasn’t from the top drawer, but was pleased with the result.

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“It wasn’t our best performance. We were a bit flat,” Dobson said.

“Whether the reasons were the time that we played, or that it was a long day.

“Despite the pressure exerted by Zebre, it still wasn’t our best showing.

“I felt that we had a strong turn towards the back end of last season and the beginning of this season.

“We may have varied it [the game plan] a little bit too much this week.

“I hate using the term ‘overplayed’, but in some ways, we probably pushed it a little bit.

“We wanted to be direct. Zebre introduced us to seeing space, and they closed it down very well.”

Dobson praised young tighthead prop Zachary Porthen, who stepped up well overall with Sazi Sandi, Frans Malherbe and Neethling Fouché all sidelined with injuries.

It’s pleasing to see, after their struggles at set pieces last season, despite the injuries they currently have up front.

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“What’s pleasing is our general set-piece going well.

“Our scrum gave us a couple of penalties. We just felt that it came later than it did in previous games.

“We didn’t have it quite as easy at scrum time.

“But we were without Ntuthuko Mchunu, Neethling Fouche, Sazi Sandi and Frans Malherbe.

“I felt that Zachary Porthen was exceptional.

“The set-piece and our log position are nice, and I felt we defended very well.

He complimented Zebre for their fight and tactics that made life difficult for his side.

The Capetonians were forced into a late change, with Seabelo Senatla being replaced by JC Mars after suffering a hamstring injury.

“Inevitably, Zebre resorted to the contestable [kicks] where they targeted JC [Mars] in his first URC start, and he handled that well.

“Zebre is a tricky team to play at home.

“They’ve beaten Edinburgh and the Lions [this season], so we’ll take a five-try win.

“We might say we got lucky at the end with the intercept try [by Ruhan Nel], but then again, we were held up three times over the line.

“We weren’t at our clinical best.

“We’ve got a huge battle coming up against Benetton, which is a shootout and very important for us.

“We haven’t won in Treviso before, and the challenge will be to lift ourselves for a big battle against Benetton next week.”