In their second consecutive game, Leinster – an experimental side – was defeated thoroughly by a South African team in again, this time facing the Stormers in a United Rugby Championship match at Cape Town Stadium this evening. This defeat, by a margin of 30 points, came closely after their near equal loss of 44-12 against the Lions in Johannesburg just a week ago. Paired with an earlier victory for the Glasgow Warriors against Zebre Parma, this defeat resulted in Leinster settling in second place in the URC leaderboard after this weekend’s matches.
In the coming week, Leinster’s immediate attention will shift to the semi-final of the European Champions Cup, where they will face off against the Northampton Saints at Croke Park. Yet, the aftermath of this defeat may cause them difficulties in conquering the URC championship, a feat not yet achieved since it was rebranded.
In spite of fielding a team with internationally capped players such as Charlie Ngatai, Michael Ala’alatoa, Jason Jenkins, Rhys Ruddock and Max Deegan, Leinster were the underdogs, given the inclusion of some renowned Springbok players in the Stormers team.
World Cup victor Manie Libbok was the chosen outhalf for this match, and he kept the scoreboard in the hosts’ favour with three penalties at the 18th, 30th and 38th minutes. He also provided the conversion for Ben Loader’s touchdown in the sixth minute—a satisfying score for the English player. Additionally, Libbok’s dynamics led the South African team to a secure 16-0 lead just before half-time.
The Springboks persisted with their offensive onslaught as the first half was winding down, which eventually culminated in a successful try from team captain Salmaan Moerat as the clocked ticked in the red.
In their previous encounter with the Lions, Leinster had been on a 22-0 trail at half-time, but this time around, they found themselves even further behind. The Stormers, displaying no signs of letting their performance dip, succeeded in extending their lead after just moments into the second half. This was thanks to Herschel Jantjies, who secured a five-pointer.
During the initial phase of the match, 27 minutes in, and when Leinster was trailing by only ten points, their player Liam Turner nearly scored a try. However, his effort was disallowed due to his off-ball tackle on a Stormers player prior to reaching the try line.
Finally, 51 minutes into the game, Leinster began to fight back with the indefatigable Deegan crossing the enemy lines. After Sam Prendergast added some extra points to their score, Rob Russell touched down the left corner to secure his seventh try of the season.
Although there was potential for Leinster to salvage a losing bonus point, the Stormers went on to reinstate their dominance. Complementing Willie Engelbrecht’s initial effort, Warrick Gelant made a try in the dying minutes, securing a commendable bonus point victory for the Stormers.
Scorers – Stormers: B Loader, S Moerat, H Jantjies, W Engelbrecht, W Gelant with a try each, M Libbok with 3 pens, 4 cons. Leinster: M Deegan, R Russell with tries, S Prendergast with a con.
STORMERS: W Gelant, S Hartzenberg, D du Plessis, D Willemse, B Loader, M Libbok, H Jantjies, B Harris, J Dweba, N Fouche, S Moerat, R van Heerden, M Theunissen, B-J Dixon, E Roos. Replacements throughout the game included A-H Venter for Dweba (56 mins), K Blose for Harris, F Malherbe for Fouche (both at 58 mins), W Simelane for du Plessis (60 mins), H Dayimani for Theunissen (66 mins), W Engelbrecht for Dixon (68 mins), S Ungerer for Jantjies, C Evans for van Heerden (both at 71 mins).
The team for Leinster consisted of H McErlean, L Turner, B Brownlee, C Ngatai, R Russell, S Prendergast, C Foley, M Milne, J McKee, M Ala’alatoa, B Deeny, J Jenkins, R Ruddock, S Penny, M Deegan. As the match progressed, various changes were made. M Moloney swapped places with Ruddock, T Clarkson substituted for Ala’alatoa, E Byrne replaced Milne at the 43-minute mark. Then Milne stepped in for Byrne between the 48th and 51st minutes. Other modifications saw C O’Tighearnaigh taking over for Jenkins, G McCarthy subbing in for McKee (both at 55 minutes), C Tector for Ngatai (66 minutes), F Gunne for Foley (71 minutes), and D Mangan for Penny (74 minutes). The referee of the match was A Piardi, representing FIR.