Here are our five takeaways after the Stormers' 25-21 victory over the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship in Durban.
top line
Winning is a habit, and while both the Sharks and Stormers had returned after almost a month off and continued their winning streaks, the Cape-based side continued that habit and defeated their struggling coastal rivals. defeated.
John Dobson's charge led to a run of six consecutive wins in all competitions, starting with an epic victory over La Rochelle in December. Today's result also marks the Stormers' 15th consecutive win against their South African opponents.
The Stormers certainly didn't have it all their way against the Men in Black, but tries from Josef Dweba, Paul de Wet and Ben Roeder, and a shot from Sasha Feinberg-Mgomezulu ensured they did well. Scoring 10 points was enough to get us over the line.
The Durbanites had a slow start to the game but improved heading into the derby and came back with tries from Ox Nche, James Venter and Bongi Mbonambi.
Two teams at different stages
The two countries are at different points in their development. The Stormers are a well-oiled team and, despite some under-par performances this season, are a team that could very well be contenders for the title. For the Sharks, you could describe this season as the first step in a rebuild, but frankly, it's a total overhaul for John Plumtree and co. We look to the future, evaluate what we have and don't have, and implement new systems.
As with all new regimes, the offense has been one of the most difficult aspects to fire on all cylinders, and while the Sharks have managed to put their coastal rivals under the pump at times, clearly Lack of cohesion and sharpness in the way they do business.
Scrumhalf Jaden Hendrickse was clearly given instructions to scoop the ball up behind the ruck and move it onto the ball as quickly as possible, and he did this effectively and often. However, his teammates did not react as quickly. He collected the ball flat-footed and occasionally switched up the attack with a pass in the opposite direction.
Kerwin Bosch is once again struggling, and Coach Plumtree is asking for more playing time for Siya Mask going forward, as the offense looks more organized and threatening to the show-leading Siya Mask. There may be a tendency to give.
The opposite is true for the Stormers, who handle the ball more clearly and always try to keep it alive. Often their ball carriers had multiple options on both sides of them and when they went to the ground for the possibility of popping off the deck.
Notably, the Stormers will be without Springbok playmakers Manny Livbok and Damian Willemse, with in-form scrum-half De Wet, fly-half Julie Massie, center Feinberg-Mgomezulu and full He was able to accomplish this despite being substituted by running back Warrick Geraint. Splendidly.
shark heading in the right direction
URC's social media accounts announced each club's odds of advancing to the play-off stage of the competition, with the Sharks entering the weekend with a 1% chance.
Even the most optimistic Sharks fan would have completely erased any possibility of a URC title challenge this season, but on Saturday, the foundations for the future began to emerge.
The hosts managed to put stress on one of the most in-form teams in the competition, bouncing back from a slow start and coming within a point of clinching an unlikely victory. Although their set-pieces were not dominant, they were accurate and were able to secure 100% possession both in their own scrum and lineout.
While experienced players such as Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi, Hendrickse and Fepsi Buthelezi are returning to form, Mbonambi's return to try-scoring is certainly welcome.
This time, I wasn't able to put the finishing touches on it.
Rassie Erasmus 'knew' Siya Kolisi would 'struggle' as Springbok captain
Bokrader
Rassie Erasmus will be keeping a close eye on events in Durban and, earlier in the day, Johannesburg as he prepares his first Springbok squad of the year. The slippery conditions were not suitable for attacking rugby, but he undoubtedly learned a lot from the action.
Firstly, Feinberg-Mgomezulu has impressed in Willemse's absence and in his return from injury. The classy young back has already attracted the attention of the Springboks and today's performance will further boost his chances of making his Test debut this year. He put the Stormers ahead with a brilliant flat cross kick and was solid off the tee despite Durban being a very difficult place to kick.
Evan Roos also returned from injury and was keen to make a difference, sprinting up and down the pitch and taking part in as many battles as possible. However, he could be overzealous at times, which led to several penalties. Still, it was a definite change from my expectations.
Stormers Rock's Ruben van Heerden, like Neesling Fouche and Andre Hugo Venter, has put in another hard-fought shift to get through the high-profile workload. Geraint seems to be finding his groove again, especially with his wonderful try assist to de Wet.
Finally, from the Stormers, Hajiba Deimani made a big shift once again, proving that he is not cut out for flashy work, making an important cover tackle and clearance against Bosch in the first half, making 13 tackles and a turnover. Achieved an excellent result.
As for the Sharks, as mentioned above, the Springbok regulars are in good form once again, while Brutelegi is having a strong season despite the team's results. Apeherele Fassi had another performance full of swings and roundabouts, but generally a good result.
But the impact of the Sharks bench was certainly worth noting, with the likes of Mbonambi, Ntukho Mchunu, Corny Oosthuizen, Masuku, Vincent Situka and Aphiwe Dhyanti shifting the momentum back in the hosts' favor. Ta.
Looking to the future
Both teams will take a week off and return the first weekend in March. The Stormers will play the Bulls then, while the Sharks will take on the Lions in another derby weekend.
The Sharks will spend the remainder of the URC season regrouping and looking to pick up some wins to climb out of the bottom of the standings. If they can win the Challenge Cup, they will still have the right to participate in next season's Champions Cup, so they should pursue that goal with all their might this season.
The Stormers have a chance to take on the Bulls and extend their 16th consecutive win against South Africa. Dobson's team will be looking to continue their respective winning streaks and return to the top four of the standings. After a slow start to the season, the Stormers are getting closer to being the team that won the first URC, and although they didn't give their full performance for 80 minutes today, champions win when they're not playing their best. The proof side of the ship.
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