On a beautiful evening at the Stadio Comunale Di Monigo in Treviso on Saturday, the Stormers took to the lush green pitch, mirroring their vibrant green away strip.
Benetton adorned their home kit of white jerseys with green stripes, fulfilling the complement of shades of green. Little did Benetton know that by the end of the night, it would be they who would be feeling green.
On a quest to change their fortunes in Italy following two previous defeats against tonight’s opposition, the Stormers could not have wished for a better start when tighthead prop Sazi Sande scored in the fifth minute – powering over for his second ever try for the Stormers. Incidentally, his only other try also came against Benetton. Flyhalf Jurie Matthee was unable to add the extras, but the South Africans took an early 5-0 lead.
Moments later, there was concern as stalwart Seabelo Senatla went down off the ball while tracking back on defense, ending his game prematurely. Wandisile Simelane came on as his replacement.
Despite the early setback, the Stormers maintained high intensity, their defense uncompromising and physical. Although scrappy, the high tempo led to a brutal opening 20 minutes.
Benetton began dominating the scrum, and with the Stormers struggling in this department, the Italians began reaping penalties and applying scoreboard pressure.
Benetton began to claw their way back, first via a penalty in the 15th minute through the boot of Jacob Umaga, who slotted further penalties in the 18th and 35th minutes, either side of one from Matthee.
Among all that action, the 30th minute bore witness to the first true breakaway from either side. Benetton displayed some magic and invention, drawing defenders inside before playing in Louis Lynagh out wide, who dotted down. The subsequent conversion was scored to leave the score at 16–8 by halftime in favor of the hosts.
Half-time: Benetton 16–8 Stormers
The second half, however, told a different story. The Stormers emerged with a point to prove, with Adre Smith replacing Salmaan Moerat, Zach Porthen replacing Sazi Sande, and Ruan Ackermann coming on for Evan Roos.
With determination etched on their faces and courage in their demeanor, the team worked diligently. Matthee quickly reduced the deficit with a penalty on 45 minutes, before finishing off a brilliant team move three minutes later to score and convert his own try – suddenly, the Stormers led 18–16.
The fly-half was in scintillating form, exuding immense confidence and dictating play with sublime precision. His pinpoint 50–22 in the 51st minute underlined his growing confidence, and minutes later, he added another penalty to extend the lead to 21–16.
Benetton thought they’d struck back with the help of some nifty footwork by Ignacio Mendy, in the 55th minute, to the elation of the Treviso crowd – only for the TMO to rule a knock-on in the buildup – a potential turning point. The Italians’ momentum faltered, and when Umaga missed two more penalties, his earlier flawless kicking deserting him, their hopes began to fade.
The Stormers, meanwhile, tightened their grip. Matthee added another penalty in the 72nd minute, bringing his personal tally to 16 points in the second half. Then, in the dying moments, Ruan Ackerman crashed over to seal a famous victory.
It was a masterclass in resilience and composure. After a scrappy first half, in which they were second best, the Cape Town side completely outplayed Benetton in the second, scoring twenty-three unanswered points, with an exemplary performance, defending superbly, and capitalizing on their opponents’ errors.
With the 31–16 win, the Stormers not only maintained their unbeaten start to the season but also ended their long wait for a win in Treviso. The cloud hanging over their head is gone. The hoodoo erased. The continuation of a hugely impressive start to the season.
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