The Stormers’ rugby team will once again be very difficult to stop in this year’s United Rugby Championship, but for the Welsh Scarlets there is a lot of trouble waiting for them, and quite a lot of it.
After the Scarlets were thrashed 63-21 by the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld last week, they were destroyed 52-7 by the Stormers at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch on Saturday.
This means that they have conceded 115 points in two tour matches and are last in the standings after only two rounds. There is also little light in the tunnel.
Welsh club rugby is on its knees, the clubs are struggling financially and there is not enough depth to justify four competing teams in the HRC series.
The Scarlets’ headquarters are in Llanelli. According to the 2023 census, there are only 43,000 people in this town. How can they support a rugby team?
Everyone knows that in the Western Cape and Boland there are some of the best rugby schools in the country, that there are feeding belts from major universities (Maties, Ikeys and UWK) to cultivate and develop student players and there are also hundreds of talented club players.
The Stormers bullied the Scarlets, they got bad nosebleeds. The Stormers scored eight tries, dominated the set pieces and did not hesitate to use their triggers.
The Stormers had a blast and got a bonus point for four tries already in the first half, just like last week against the Lions.
Warrick Gelant, the Englishman Ben Loader, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Clayton Blommetjies and Paul de Wet were hot.
Up front, Marcel Theunissen, Evan Roos, Hacjivah Dayimani, Ruben van Heerden and Neethling Fouche stoked the fire.
All that there is a little concern about is the possible concussion that Ruhan Nel will soon suffer.
Scorers:
Stormers 52 (31): Tries: Marcel Theunissen (2), Paul de Wet (2), Clayton Blommetjies, Ben Loader, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Courtnall Skosan. Goals: Blommetjes (2), Feinberg-Mngomezulu (4).
Scarlets 7 (7): Three: Kieran Hardy. Goal kick: John Lloyd.
