First-half blitz enough for Stormers win

A first-half blitz was enough to give the DHL Stormers a bonus-point 29-13 win over the Ospreys in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship match at DHL Stadium on Saturday night.

* Get DStv to watch all the URC action *

The win gave the South African teams a clean sweep in games against overseas opposition and set the scene for an epic showdown with the Vodacom Bulls next weekend at the same venue.

But after the heroics of the first half-hour, where the Stormers blitzed three tries, the next 50 minutes became a scrappy, frustrating affair, with both sides trying to play but hampered by a plethora of mistakes.

It was nowhere near the Stormers' best performance, but coach John Dobson will be happy with another win that keeps them moving upward as the playoffs approach.

Manie Libbok was a deserved winner of the man of the match award, underlining the fact that he has found his spot in a system that suits his style of play. Libbok was exceptional in the first half and was aided by Leolin Zas, who scored a brace in the game.

But as much as the game was almost settled in the first half-hour, there will be plenty of work-ons for the Stormers this week as the competition heads towards the playoffs, and there were plenty of missed opportunities as well.

The Ospreys tried to attack, but at times they got away with spoiling tactics and while both sides were looking to play the ball at every opportunity, it was frustrating to watch as the game went on.

Still, the Stormers’ will focus on the positives, and a Libbok break in the second minute put Paul de Wet away for a try under the posts.

It was two minutes later when the ball moved through six pairs of hands before stopping at a ruck, with Adre Smith picking the ball up and running straight to score a second in virtually the same place.

The third try was a brilliant blindside move that saw Zas bump off a defender on the way to the line.

The Ospreys only had two penalties to their name as they ended the half 22-6 behind.

The second half though, was hardly worthy of the contest that happened in the first 40. While the Ospreys had control of the majority of possession, their inability to do something with it was a testament to why they will likely miss out on a playoff place.

And in the process, the Stormers also succumbed to the same illness, and found mistakes where there should have been composure.

Zas’ second was the best moment of the half, and a just reward for a player who just kept on trying.

The second half disintegrated when first Zas and then Libbok were yellow carded in the last quarter, reducing the Stormers to 13, and it allowed the Ospreys a late try through Max Nagy.

But other than adding respectability to the final score, it did little else for the contest.

And the Stormers will know that while they were good enough on the night, they will have to be better in future.

SCORERS

DHL STORMERS - tries: Paul de Wet, Adre Smith, Leolin Zas (2). Conversions: Manie Libbok (3). Penalty: Libbok.

OSPREYS - try: Max Nagy. Conversion: Gareth Anscombe. Penalties: Anscombe (2)