Six-try Stormers remain unbeaten in Champions Cup after dispatching La Rochelle in Gqeberha

The Stormers kept their red-hot start to the season rolling, scoring six tries in a bonus-point 42-21 win over La Rochelle in Gqeberha to stay unbeaten in the Champions Cup.

With pace, power and plenty of attacking swagger for most of the clash, the Cape side brushed aside the French giants and sent another strong early-season statement to the rest of the competition.

The home side, unbeaten for eight games in all competitions, burst out of the blocks at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, racing into an early lead with two quickfire tries in the first 10 minutes as both wingers crossed the whitewash, courtesy of the in-form flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

The first came after sustained early pressure on the visitors inside the opening two minutes.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu spotted space out wide and delivered a deft crossfield kick for speedster Dylan Maart, who gathered cleanly and dived over in the corner. Five minutes later, the Stormers struck again on the opposite flank.

Left winger Leolin Zas ran onto a beautifully timed pass from his No 10, brushed off a would-be tackler and powered over to make it 10–0 inside the opening exchanges. Feinberg-Mngomezulu was unable to convert either try from difficult angles, but his influence on the game was already unmistakable.

For the opening 20 minutes, the flyhalf was at the heart of everything as the Stormers dominated territory and possession. He very nearly claimed a third assist, playing a sensational no-look pass out the back in the build-up to a Ben-Jason Dixon try, only for the score to be chalked off after a La Rochelle player was deemed to be in touch.

A rolling maul try soon followed, but that too was disallowed when lock JD Schickerling was penalised for obstruction — a decision that denied the home side what would have been their fourth try.

Those setbacks seemed to take some momentum out of the Stormers’ game, and they eased off the pedal during the second quarter and could only take a 16-7 lead into the break.

The Cape side reasserted themselves early in the second half, though, when hooker André-Hugo Venter crashed over from a powerful rolling maul to extend the lead. Shortly thereafter, the Stormers were reduced to 14 men when tighthead prop Neethling Fouché was shown a yellow card, and La Rochelle capitalised with a well-worked try to narrow the gap.

This time, however, there was no lapse in intensity from the hosts.

Despite being a man down and under pressure, fullback Warrick Gelant produced a moment of brilliance with a crucial steal. From a resulting penalty following that turnover, scrumhalf Cobus Reinach took a quick tap, sliced through the defence and sent Feinberg-Mngomezulu bursting into space between the forwards. The flyhalf then produced another audacious, one-handed chicken wing pass to Maart, who sprinted away to score his second try of the afternoon under the poles, pushing the Stormers clear at 28–14.

Reinach was again the chief instigator moments later, sniping around the ruck and breaking the line before offloading to Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who promptly sent Gelant through for the five-pointer. The two tries in quick succession effectively ended La Rochelle’s resistance, as the Stormers started closing out a performance that showcased both their attacking flair and their resilience under pressure.

While Reinach and Feinberg-Mngomezulu pulled the strings at the back, the Stormers’ pack of forwards produced a strong scrum display. But, they were at times penalised for being over eager.

Flanker Paul de Villiers, named Player of the Match was excellent around the park and made crucial turnovers with his team under pressure and put his body on the line with plenty of tackles on the big La Rochelle forwards.

This was a crucial win for the Stormers as they head into the home United Rugby Championship derbies with an unbeaten record.

Points scorers

Stormers 42 (16): Tries: Dylan Maart (2), Leolin Zas, André-Hugo Venter, Warrick Gelant, Marcel Theunissen. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3). Penalties: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2). La Rochelle 21 (7): Tries: Quentin Lespiaucq, Nikoloz Sutidze, Nathan Bollengier. Conversions: Diego Jurd (3).