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The Stormers know they will have a tough game against Benetton, which is full of international stars and is led by Italy captain Michele Lamaro.
Italy and Benetton captain Michele Lamaro made a record number of tackles during last year's Six Nations. Picture: Timothy Rogers/Getty Images
The Stormers have identified some international stars they need to be wary of in the Benetton team, including Italian captain Michele Lamaro.
The 26-year-old loose forward, who also captains Benetton, has led the national team since 2021. Tall and strong, Lamaro has been known to be a nuisance at the breakdown, winning plenty of turnovers.
He is also solid in defence, setting a tournament record of 103 tackles at the 2024 Six Nations.
The Stormers host the Italian club in the 16th round of the United Rugby Championship (URC) at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 6.15pm).
The Stormers are eighth on the URC log but are just one point behind fifth-placed Benetton. A win against the Italian side will come in handy ahead of the Stormers’ remaining fixtures against Dragons and Cardiff, which are also at home.
But there is a reason Benetton are fifth on the log. They have eight wins and one draw from their 15 games, plus seven bonus points. Benetton have beaten tough sides such as Cardiff, Edinburgh, Ulster and La Rochelle in recent weeks.
In their last game, they secured a 42–31 win over the Lions in Johannesburg.
Stormers and Springbok loose forward Evan Roos anticipated a tough match-up against Lamaro.
“There are a few internationals in their team,” he said. “The Italian captain is also in their team. They’re a quality team and they’ve got good players.
“Respect where it is due, they are a good team so we will have to be at our best.”
Forwards coach Rito Hlungwani agreed that while the Stormers had a confidence boost after their 34–29 bonus-point win against Connacht in Cape Town last week, they cannot rest on their laurels now.
“They are a tough team to play against, very physical,” Hlungwani said. “They defend really well. It’s going to be a nice challenge.”
Other internationals at Benetton include Rhyno Smith and Gideon Koegelenberg of South Africa, Siua Maile and Malakai Fekitoa of Tonga, Onisi Ratave of Fiji, Scott Scrafton and Toa Halafihi of New Zealand, Andy Uren of England, and Louis Lynagh of Australia.
There are also a host of Argentinian stars, namely, Nahuel Chaparro, Thomas Gallo, Agustín Creevy, Lautaro Vélez, Tomás Albornoz, Ignacio Brex, and Ignacio Mendy.
Joining them are a handful of players born overseas who adopted Italy as their country.
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