| Stormers (29) 36 |
| Tries: Jantjies, Zas, van Rhyn, Dayimani, du Plessis Cons: Wolhuter 4 Pens: Wolhuter |
| Scarlets (7) 19 |
| Tries: Conbeer 2, Rogers Cons: D Jones, Patchell |
Scarlets continue their miserable run with a sixth defeat in Cape Town against Stormers.
Dwayne’s side remains 15th in the United Rugby Championship Table despite Ryan Conbeer’s two tries.
Scarlets left empty handed after Tom Rogers crossed the line in a thrilling match.
As the defending champions advanced to second, Herschel Jantjies and Leolin Zas, Ernst van Rhyn and Hacjivah dayimani crossed, Dan du Plessis was also there.
The Scarlets, who were able to create opportunities but were also defensively weak, had a similar story.
Although they were without a host country of Wales internationals, their hosts were even more affected by the call-ups. South Africa, who face England at Twickenham Saturday
This may have been why the game was played in cool, breezy conditions in Cape Town on a warm evening.
Scarlets showed great spirit in their first game with Lee Blackett as attack coach, having joined after he left the troubled Wasps.
They were also guilty of not taking advantage of their opportunities – that has been their story so far.
Scarlets missed an opportunity to pressure the defending champions twice, as Johnny McNichol blew two opportunities.
Scarlets try too late
They had already lost their chance by that point.
The three attempts were all spectacular to watch. However, the first was when they were down 19-0.
They were trailing 36-7 at halftime and lost the game.
Jonathan Davies’ quick hands allowed McNichol to win, beating three men before Gareth Davies gave Conbeer his first try.
During the week Davies admitted his early season form She was not worthy of a spot in Wales’ squad for autumn internationals.
His ill-judged pass nearly cost Scarlets a try, and it was his opponent who scored after a lively first 15 minutes.
Jantjies, once a Scarlet, was an immediate replacement and scored below the posts.
Wing Zas completed a quick attack that started with an overthrown Scarlets line out before captain Ernst van Rhyn got a third try within eight minutes.
McNicholl, Dan Jones, and McNicholl both saved tries, while Dan Davis was a true impactful flanker in his first season.
Conbeer crossed the finish line just moments later, and number eight Dayimani took over for a 29-7 halftime advantage.
Peel’s half-time speech was ineffective as centre Du Plessis won the match under the posts, with not a single hand on him within two minutes of the restart.
Peel called the changes and Scarlets waved caution to the wind.
After Davis was close, Rogers crossed in the corner. Conbeer, another winger, then followed for his second and fourth goals of the evening just four minutes later.
It was exciting stuff, and the Stormers did not score in the 42nd minute. However, an away win is rarely possible.
Although Scarlets had hoped for a bonus point, Steff Evans, the replacement, was denied a fourth try in the last minutes.
Dwayne Peel, Scarlets’ head coach: “It’s disappointing. Although we had the chance to score try scores, our basic skills let us down.
“We came to this place after a solid block of training. At times, we put them under stress and scored some wonderful tries.
“But, our execution let us down in crucial moments and we shot ourselves the foot with errors. They gave them the ball and executed every time.”
Dan du Plessis, Stormer centre and man-of-the match for the match Dan du Plessis: We are delighted with the win.
“There were some guys who hadn’t played in a while, so we just wanted the chance to play and have fun.
“We knew that it was vital to quickly get out of the blocks. We did that, and we built a strong lead that was easy to keep.”
Stormers: Clayton Blommetjies; Angelo Davids, Cornel Smit, Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas; Kade Wolhuter, Paul de Wet; Ali Vermaak, Joseph Dweba, Neethling Fouche, Ernst van Rhyn (capt), Gary Porter, Junior Pokomela, Marcel Theunissen, Hacjivah Dayimani.
Replacements: JJ Kotze, Leon Lyons, Sazi Sandi, Connor Evans, Ben-Jason Dixon, Nama Xaba, Herschel Jantjies, Jean-Luc du Plessis.
Scarlets: Johnny McNicholl; Tom Rogers; Jonathan Davies (capt), Scott Williams and Ryan Conbeer; Dan Jones; Gareth Davies; Steff Tom, Harri Ol’Connor, Sam Lousi.
Replacements: Taylor Davies, Kemsley Mathias, WillGriff John, Blade Thomson, Tomás Lezana, Archie Hughes, Rhys Patchell, Steff Evans.
Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU).
Assistant referees: Morne Ferreira (SARU), Paul Mente (SARU)
TMO: Frank Murphy (IRFU).
