The Stormers backed their power game to secure their first win of the United Rugby Championship season after klapping Zebre Parma 36-5 in their second game on tour.
Saturday’s one-sided win at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi also helped lift the Kapenaars off laaste plek on the URC log to 12th, after replacement winger Angelo Davids scored a bonus-point try with the final attacking play of the game.
But earlier in the clash it seemed as if coach John Dobson’s Stormers were just looking to get a four-point win with a more conservative style of play employed where they peppered the Italians with high contestable kicks and scrummed the hosts into submission.
Stormers defence coach Norman Laker, however, will smile die breedste, after watching the rush defence blunt a Zebre team that scored 44 points in their previous game to beat Munster.
All that pressure resulted in penalties being awarded to the Stormers with flyhalf Jurie Matthee slotting three off the tee in the first half as he put the visitors 9-0 up after 27 minutes.
Then the Cape side chanced their arm with a slick move from a lineout maul as No.8 Keke Morabe sold a dummy, before No.9 Paul de Wet ran through and then sent wing Leolin Zas away for the game’s first try (16-0).
After the break, Matthee slotted his fourth penalty for a 19-0 lead before he was replaced by Davids, with Damian Willemse moving to 10 for the final 30 minutes.
The game moved closer to being over as a contest when right wing Suleiman Hartzenberg scored the Stormers’ second try for a 24-0 lead in the 59th minute as they continued to capitalise on Zebre’s ill-discipline.
Zas then bagged his second five-pointer (29-0) before Zebre eventually broke their duck through winger Simone Gesi’s try with five minutes left.
But from the restart, the Stormers got lucky as Zebre fumbled the ball to set up a scrum from which Davids scored the fourth try.
Zebre – Try: Simone Gesi
Stormers – Tries: Leolin Zas (2), Suleiman Hartzenberg and Angelo Davids; Conversions: Jurie Mathee and Damian Willemse; Penalties: Mathee (4)