The Stormers team began its Champions Cup campaign with a bonus point-earning victory over Bristol Bears. The match took place in Cape Town on Saturday at the DHL Stadium, where Stormers secured a confident win with a score of 49:12, scoring seven points.
This was the second consecutive victory for the team known as 'Men in Black,' and they continued their impressive form following their previous win against Sharks last week. Despite several bright moments, including the first touchdown by winger Seabelo Senatla, the game was marred by a red card for hooker J.J. Kotze and a yellow card for winger Leonel Zas.
Although the team, which includes Springbok players, played with fourteen men for twenty minutes and then with thirteen, the home side possessed enough power to send the Bears back to England with no league points.
Stormers' Strengths
While the backline attacks showed excellent form, especially in the first three touchdowns, including Senatla's try, the Stormers deserve praise for their defense. They repeatedly stopped Bears attacks right before the try line, with forward Siya Kolisi anchoring the strong defense in the center. Tackles from D. De Shikkerling and Andre Smith also disrupted Bristol's play in the outsides during their attacks.
Kotze's red card in the 22-meter zone while defending a rolling maul created additional pressure on the hosts. However, after the subsequent play in the outfields, Kolisi managed to knock the ball away from an attacking player.
Although the red card strengthened Stormers' defense, Senatla's touchdown in the seventh minute showed that the attack would develop. He broke through the defense, bypassed the last defender, and dived in the corner.
Good attacking play from fullback Damian Willemse and Senatla led to five points for Zas. He received a ground pass from his wing partner and scored without facing resistance.
Bears were only able to score points against the weakened home team in the second half, receiving a second card, this time yellow, for Zas's high tackle. The yellow card was issued after a tackle attempt by midfielder Kobus Reinach was disallowed. Stormers expressed dissatisfaction with this card, as the attacker fell onto Zas, but the TMO and referee deemed the tackle dangerous.
However, shortly after the Bears' touchdown maul, Roach scored his second try of the day, sending the ball into the corner after catching a high cross-pass from winger Sachi Feinberg-Mngomezulu and running into the goal.
The match slowed down slightly when Stormers started making substitutions, although they still maintained most of possession, and their defensive play in the chaos held Bristol at bay several times.
The tries scored by substitutes Warrick Gelant, #16 Andre-Hugo Venter, and Zas, who scored his second, after prolonged attacks brought a bonus point when they took the lead over Bristol by a three-point margin. Feinberg-Mngomezulu demonstrated impeccable finishing ability with crosses, converting all five-point opportunities and missing only one penalty before halftime.
In addition to disciplinary issues, Stormers' play was also let down several times by handling errors, including obvious dropped balls, such as when Willemse dropped the ball in an open area near the try line in front of him. Sometimes they also kicked the ball unnecessarily wide.
Nevertheless, these are minor flaws that can be corrected over the next few weeks. The scrums, rolling mauls, defense, and attack looked polished for most of the match, and the first victory in the Champions Cup will be a cause for celebration.
Who Scored Points
Stormers 49 (21): Tries: Seabelo Senatla, Leonel Zas (2), Jonathan Roach (2), Warrick Gelant, Andre-Hugo Venter. Conversions: Sachi Feinberg-Mngomezulu (7).
Bristol Bears 12 (7): Tries: Joe Owen, Sol Moody. Conversion: Sam Horsley.