The Stormers arguably produced their poorest performance of the new United Rugby Championship (URC) season against Zebre Parma on Saturday evening.
While they won the contest 31–13, claiming a bonus point in the process for their five tries, it was not a convincing display by the Cape side, who had been clinical in their previous three games.
Yes, they climbed to the top of the URC log thanks to the five points collected at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, but their individualism and high error rate stood out like a sore thumb. They were dominant in the tight exchanges, winning the scrums and lineouts, but their backline did not perform to its expected standard on the attack.
It was here that the visitors made a host of errors and squandered opportunities by either trying to go for the try alone or flinging the ball around recklessly. Their aerial play at the back, especially on defence, also left much to be desired.
Zebre’s sole try came from a loose pass thrown by returning fullback Warrick Gelant. The ball was scooped up by winger Mirko Belloni, who outsprinted the defence to score and give his side the lead. The fullback almost cost his team a second try late in the game with another risky pass, but he made amends by poaching the ball and winning a penalty at a subsequent ruck to ease the pressure in their half.
Flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored a brace of tries on either side of the halftime whistle, but his performance was also not convincing. The first five-pointer came from a neat little chip kick that he managed to regather after the Zebre defence failed to claim a tap back. For his second, which stretched the team’s lead, he wriggled through a couple of defenders to score.
Gelant scored the bonus-point try after sustained pressure inside Zebre’s 22 through their scrum and rolling maul. He ran a perfect line to collect a flat pass from Feinberg-Mngomezulu and dotted the ball down untouched. An intercept try right at the death by captain Ruhan Nel sealed the victory.
Overall, it was a disjointed and sloppy performance. But a second win overseas will nonetheless please director of rugby John Dobson. Still, the Stormers will need a sharper performance if they are to stand any chance of beating Benetton in Treviso on Saturday to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
Their inability to convert opportunities must be addressed, and it will be crucial to stick to the forwards-based game that has served them well so far.
Points scorers
Stormers 31 (12): Tries: Paul de Villiers, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2), Warrick Gelant, Ruhan Nel. Conversions: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3). Zebre 13 (7): Try: Mirko Belloni. Conversion: Giacomo da Re. Penalties: Da Re (2).
