DHL Stormers run hot with 14 tries
The DHL Stormers ran in 14 tries in their first warm-up of the season in sweltering conditions at False Bay RFC on Saturday.
The 27-man DHL Stormers playing group scored six tries in the first half against hosts False Bay RFC and then eight tries in the second half against a Combined Club XV at the Phillip Herbstein grounds in Constantia.
The action started early as a large crowd watched a 17-man conditioning group, including 12 Springboks, go through a tough training session before kick-off in the main event.
On a hot and still day, the first two chukkas of 20 minutes each saw the DHL Stormers playing group go up against a highly motivated False Bay RFC outfit in the first half.
Centre Dan du Plessis was the star, as he scored an incredible four tries in the first half, with scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies and No.8 Juarno Augustus also crossing the whitewash against the hosts, who managed to get over for two tries of their own.
The Combined Club XV was made up of talented local non-University club players, to give them a chance to impress ahead of the SuperSport Rugby Challenge.
There were wholesale changes made to the DHL Stormers playing group in the second half and it was the forwards who impressed early on, with No.8 Jaco Coetzee, tighthead prop Neethling Fouche, hooker Dan Jooste and lock Salmaan Moerat all going over for tries.
The final chukka saw the backline of the DHL Stormers group come into their own, with Craig Barry getting over for a brace to add to tries from Dan Kriel and Nico Leonard.
The DHL Stormers will now turn their attention to the Super Hero Sunday Double Header at Cape Town Stadium on February 3, which will see them wear their Marvel Thor kit for the first time when they face the Vodacom Bulls.
The scorers:
Tries: Jantjies, Du Plessis 4, Augustus, Coetzee, Fouche, Jooste, Moerat, Barry 2, Kriel, Leonard
Cons: Stander 5, Marais
DHL Stormers playing group: Juarno Augustus, Craig Barry, Kwenzo Blose, Jaco Coetzee, Dan du Plessis, JJ Engelbrecht, Neethling Fouche, Herschel Jantjies, Daniel Jooste, Dan Kriel, Michael Kumbirai, Nico Leonard, Dillyn Leyds, SP Marais, Salmaan Moerat, Scarra Ntubeni, Justin Phillips, Marno Redelinghuys, Seabelo Senatla, Joshua Stander, Edwill van der Merwe, Kobus van Dyk, Ernst van Rhyn, Chris van Zyl, Ali Vermaak, Cobus Wiese, Nama Xaba.
DHL Stormers conditioning group: Damian de Allende, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jean-Luc du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth, Corne Fourie, Steven Kitshoff, Siya Kolisi, Wilco Louw, Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Ruhan Nel, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Sergeal Petersen, JD Schickerling, Chad Solomon, Jano Vermaak, Damian Willemse.
Pic: Mike Maytham
