DHL Stormers take Eagles down in George
The DHL Stormers scored 11 unanswered tries in their dominant 77-0 pre-season victory against SWD Eagles in George on Saturday.
Conditions at Outeniqua Park were slippery, with a light rain falling throughout the game, but the DHL Stormers were just as slick in a commanding performance.
The visitors made an encouraging start to the game as they forced the hosts onto the back foot early. After some sustained pressure up front the ball was sent down the backline, with outside centre SP Marais going through for the opening try.
After the backs had shown their finishing skills, the forwards had a go with a textbook driving maul which saw hooker Chad Solomon crash over for the second try.
The third try came as a direct result of defensive pressure as Cobus Wiese rushed up and forced a pass which went straight to George Whitehead who raced away to score the intercept try.
Wiese would be next on the scoresheet as he stretched out to put the finishing touch on a try that was created by the backline, with Marais having been stopped just short of the line.
The fifth try came just before half-time, with No.8 Juarno Augustus powering his way over from close range. Flyhalf George Whitehead nailed all five conversions in the first half to give the DHL Stormers an imposing 35-0 advantage at the break.
The floodgates well and truly opened at the start of the second half as the DHL Stormers scored another four tries in just 15 minutes.
First it was Raymond Rhule who had simply too much pace, before Augustus was put away for his second following a great break from lock Eddie Zandberg.
Damian de Allende got on the scoresheet soon afterwards and he was followed by scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies, with Marais slotting all four conversions.
Jantjies got his double thanks to some incredible skills from young gun David Kriel who stepped a few defenders on a counter-attack before getting a miracle offload away to the scrumhalf.
The final nail in the Eagles coffin was delivered three minutes from time as the DHL Stormers rushed up on defence, with young centre Rikus Pretorius on hand to grab the intercept.
The scorers:
For DHL Stormers:
Tries: Marais, Solomon, Whitehead, Wiese, Augustus 2, Rhule, De Allende, Jantjies 2, Pretorius
Cons: Whitehead 5, Marais 4, Stander 2
DHL Stormers playing squad: Christian Ambadiang, Juarno Augustus, Jaco Coetzee, Damian de Allende, Ruben de Villiers, Paul de Wet, Stefan de Wit, Wikus Groenewald, JC Janse van Rensburg, Herschel Jantjies, Dan Kriel, David Kriel, SP Marais, Salmaan Moerat, Dean Muir, Sihle Njezula, Caylib Oosthuizen, Sergeal Petersen, Rikus Pretorius, Raymond Rhule, Carlu Sadie, Ramone Samuels, Chad Solomon, Joshua Stander, Luke Stringer, Kobus van Dyk, Chris van Zyl, Ali Vermaak, George Whitehead, Cobus Wiese, Eddie Zandberg.
