Rampant Stormers too good for Sharks

……………………… 40pts

………………………………… 0pts

Tries: Schickerling 21, Libbok 25, Sithole 45, Gelant 54, De Wet 63, Venter 70

Conversions: Libbok 22, 26, 64, 71; Du Plessis 46

‘s winner Manie Libbok put in a try-scoring star performance as Stormers gave Sale hopes a hammer blow in Cape Town.

Sale director of Alex Sanderson predicted whichever team won the transition would dominate, but sadly for the travelling contingent, it was the southern hemisphere side who showed their quality to produce a six-try rout.

Stormers head coach John Dobson said: “It’s a special win. We were able to impose our game properly, and get the transition right from defence to attack, which proved crucial.

“Sale could have got a couple of points at the start, but what we got right was both countering and denting into their line before going wide and not being too lateral.

“We weren’t perfect, we butchered a few chances, and giving away that amount of penalties is not who we are. But it’s not hard to work out that we’ve had some big personnel come back – Deon Fourie, Evan Roos, Sti Sithole and Ben Loader – and the performance lifts.”

Despite Sale having to deal with a 35-degree temperature change this week, going from sub-zero Manchester to the Western Cape, the visitors started well at the Green Point ground, getting the early penalty advantage and having several line-outs deep in the Stormers 22. Three times in the opening quarter of an hour Sharks looked odds on to score, while loosehead Bevan Rodd earned a clear scrum edge over Stormers tighthead Frans Malherbe, but a combination of handling errors and a solid South African defence meant all the territory and possession counted for nothing.

In a flash Stormers opened Sale up with winger Loader producing a lovely over-the-top chip to outside centre Wandisile Simelane but Sale’s Tom Roebuck just about scrambled back.

Two minutes later and Stormers showed their countering credentials again, Simelane leaving Sale full-back Joe Carpenter planted and taking out three defenders before producing a neat inside offload for half-centurion JD Schickerling to gallop over on the right.

Another rip ball from Libbok and Loader led to No.9 Stefan Ungerer’s box kick finding the playmaker, who spun round Carpenter to run in from 40 metres and earn the home-side 14-points within five minutes.

White line fever befell Sale, two more try chances didn’t materialise despite 80 per cent of the first half being played in Stormers territory.

A golden chance for the Sharks went begging after outside centre Luke James knocked on within touching distance of scoring just after the restart.

Despite being a man light with Malherbe sin-binned for not driving straight, Stormers were the first to score after half time. They produced several pick-and-goes from a lineout and loosehead Sithole muscled over by the left post.

Two yellow cards within six minutes, to skipper Rob du Preez for a high tackle and Carpenter for a deliberate knock-on, both with Stormers set to score, ended Sale’s thinning hopes.

A loose ball from an aerial challenge between Arron Reed and Loader fell to full-back Warrick Gelant who cantered over in the right corner.

Scrum-half Paul de Wet shimmied over from a scrum and hooker Andre-Hugo Venter muscled through two defenders for the sixth try, while Sale’s Rekeiti Ma’asi-White saw yellow in the minutes for a high tackle.

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Run in: Star man Mannie Libbok scores
PICTURES: Getty Images

Power play: Paul de Wet muscles through to score the fifth Stormers try

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