The secret behind the Stormers’ unbeaten start

OPINION: The Stormers have evolved from a team unsettled by momentum shifts to one that can absorb pressure and control tempo, and their lack of Springbok absentees could make them more dangerous this season.

Following their Round Two encounter against the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium at the beginning of October, Ospreys head coach Mark Jones was forthcoming about the reason his side slumped to a 10-26 defeat after leading 10-8 at the break.

Although the Welshmen had some gripes about the referee’s decisions around some of their mauls that went to ground, he also conceded that they had “lost the momentum of the game” during the second half.

Momentum is the kind of word coaches reach for when they want a tidy explanation, but what they mean is a cascade of small things: misplaced passes, sloppy exits and errors at key moments that give their opponents a chance to take control of the game.

On too many occasions last season, the Stormers were victims of these momentum swings, often losing matches that they looked in control of for large periods. That made them brittle, and you saw it in the way 10 or 15 minutes of pressure could tilt entire games.

This was most apparent in two matches in 2024: against the Ospreys at the Dunraven Brewery Field, and against Glasgow at the Danie Craven Stadium.

Against the Ospreys, the Stormers were in the driver’s seat in the early going, building a 10-point lead before having the deficit reduced to three shortly before half-time.

They still looked to be in control, but when they came under pressure, errors popped up, especially with their exit kicks. They conceded 17 points in 15 minutes after the break and were chasing the game for the rest of the night, eventually going down 24-37.

Against Glasgow four weeks later, the Capetonians were less dominant. The game was an arm-wrestle, with neither side able to really find their flow in the first half. Dan du Plessis scored a great try in the 54th minute to level the scores, and at a venue where they had never lost a game before, it seemed almost a formality that they would claim another victory.

But Glasgow struck back 10 minutes later with a try from deep inside their own half, and another one shortly after left the Stellenbosch crowd in stunned silence as their team succumbed to a 17-28 defeat.

So this past weekend in Treviso against Benetton, when the Stormers found themselves trailing 8-16 despite again dominating the early exchanges, it seemed like an all too familiar script.

But despite the scoreline, the Stormers were remarkably calm. Instead of chasing the game, they eased into it. Their composure was best illustrated by their decision to kick at goal early in the second half rather than opting for an attacking line-out. And when another try-scoring opportunity came, they struck with precision.

They saw out the rest of the game, and although they were lucky that Benetton had a try ruled out in the 55th minute for a knock-on in the build-up, they looked firmly in control and didn’t concede a single point in the second half.

It was a mature performance built on patience rather than panic, with Jurie Matthee dictating the match through his boot.

That composure has been missing in some of their recent campaigns. It suggests that the Stormers have found a balance between their trademark attacking flair and a more controlled, pragmatic edge, making them able to limit the damage and stay in the game when momentum inevitably shifts.

Part of that composure comes down to continuity. With relatively few players in the Springbok mix this season, the Stormers have enjoyed a rare luxury: time together. While the Bulls and the Sharks were without their star players for their pre-season preparations due to the Rugby Championship, Dobson has been able to train with a relatively unchanged squad, allowing rhythm and trust to develop.

Momentum will inevitably shift again; that is the nature of the game. It’s the Stormers’ job to remain calm when it does. If they can do that, they’ll be better positioned than most South African teams to mount a serious challenge when the competition tightens in the new year.