Champions Cup result: Stormers backline give them thumping win over Sale

Cape Town Stadium was treated to a try spectacle when the Stormers ran in six tries to earn a bonus-point 40–0 win against Sale Sharks on Saturday.

This was a perfect result for the Stormers as they aimed to get off the bottom of pool 4 and keep their hopes of a play-off spot alive. They were point-less in the competition after losses to Toulon (24–14) and Harlequins (53–16) before the match.

Try scorers for the Stormers included JD Schickerling (playing in his 50th game), Manie Libbok, Sti Sithole, man-of-the-match Warrick Gelant, Paul de Wet and Andre-Hugo Venter.

Sale were better in the line-outs and scrums throughout the game. They came close to scoring on several occasions but lost the ball forward or conceded free-kicks every time.

The Stormers, by contrast, conceded more penalties but created more opportunities as well.

Springbok prop Frans Malherbe even earned a yellow card for conceding three penalties in the scrums but this did not slow the Stormers’ momentum as sensational kicking and agile stepping from the backline proved too good for the visitors.

Stormers score six tries

Schickerling scored the first points of the day through a try in the 22nd minute. Simelane side-stepped his way through the line and drew the last defenders to himself before passing to the lock to score in his 50th match. Libbok converted.

Libbok scored a beautiful try three minutes later. Scrumhalf Stefan Ungerer kicked the ball well over the gain line for Libbok to catch and side-step the defender and run in under the posts. He converted again to give the home side a 14-point lead going into half-time.

It took only five minutes before the Stormers opened scoring again in the second half, Sti Sithole bursting through for a try after Ungerer’s great run. Jean-Luc Du Plessis converted to make it 21–0.

At this point, it was Rob du Preez’s turn to receive a yellow card for tackling Suleiman Hartzenberg off the ball.

Fullback Gelant snatched a high ball and ran around an overlap to score the bonus-point try in the 55th minute. Libbok missed the conversion from a tough angle.

Replacement scrumhalf Paul de Wet ran around from a scrum, finding a gap to score the Stormers’ fifth try in the 63rd minute. This time, Libbok converted, making it 33–0.

Hooker Andre-Hugo Venter powered his way through for the Stormers’ sixth try in the 71st minute. Libbok converted to make it 40–0.

Ma’asi-White received a yellow card for a high tackle three minutes from play.

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