Stormers brush off diluted Leinster to get bonus point win

The Stormers put on a professional performance to defeat a diluted Leinster outfit 42-12 in the United Rugby Championship at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night.

The Cape side returns to winning ways in the URC following last weekend’s surprise 27-21 loss to Welsh side Ospreys. The display against Ospreys was described by the Stormers head honcho, John Dobson, as their worst of the season.

Heading to the clash against the Irish giants the Stormers needed to play well, execute their game plan and most importantly, get a win. They managed to check all those boxes albeit against a Leinster side that was without their heavyweights.  

The visitors went to Cape Town with a team of young players and those on the fringes because their Irish internationals along with senior coach Jacques Nienaber are in Dublin preparing for next weekend’s Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton Saints.

Needless to say, Leinster was not as accurate or systematically organised as they would be with their internationals. The Stormers were on top of them in every aspect; dominating the contact battle with massive tackles, strong in the scrums and controlling matters at the breakdowns. 

Stormers dominance

The home side’s dominance was highlighted by the 23-0 score at half-time. Tries from Ben Loader and Salman Moerat plus 13 points from Manie Libbok saw them in full control of the match. 

The Stormers showed their maturity with their scoring; they got an early try through Loader, who received a pass from Damian Willemse in the middle of the park and ran to the try line. They then opted to kick for the poles when presented with penalties.

Libbok slotted in three penalty goals to keep the scoreboard ticking. Moerat’s converted try came after the half-time hooter went off; he showed great determination to cross over the line.

The healthy lead and strong defensive performance from the opening stanza laid the platform for the Stormers to be on the attack in the second 40 minutes.

The Stormers got their third converted try through Herschel Janties two minutes after the restart.

Leinster fight back

It looked like Leinster was in for a long night but they fought back. Their forward substitutions made an immediate impact in the scrum and lineouts.

They helped to get the team in the red zone and put the Stormers’ defence under pressure. They would eventually get on the scoreboard in the 50th minute when Max Deegan scored a converted try.

 Three minutes later Deegan turned into a provider when he passed the ball to Rob Russel on the inside, and the winger ran to the try line for a five-point score.

Momentum was with Leinster, and they suddenly were playing against 14-man after Evan Roos was shown a yellow card for multiple infringements from the Stormers.  Leinster pushed for another score but the Stormers defence was tight and structured.

Stormers on top

The Stormers managed to control the game again thanks to their bench, they helped stabilise proceedings. The bonus point would be secured when substitute Willie Engelbrecht went through the Leinster defence to get a converted try.

With the score at 37-12 with ten minutes left on the clock, Leinster looked deflated. 

The Cape Town Stadium would be on their feet to applaud Warrick Gelant, who scored a magical try. He sold a dummy offload that took out two Leinster players as he raced to get the winning try to make the score 42-12 after 80 minutes.

Scorers

Stormers: Tries – Ben Loader, Salman Moerat, Herschel Jantjies, Willie Engelbrecht, Warrick Gelant ; Conversions – Manie Libbok (3) ; Penalties. – Libbok (3)

Leinster: Tries – Max Deegan, Rob Russell; Conversion– Sam Prendergast