Stormers aim for victory against Benetton to secure URC tour success

The Stormers will measure their United Rugby Championship (URC) tour success after what happens on Saturday in the final game against Benetton Treviso in Italy.

Currently on a two-match winning run in their opening overseas duels, the Cape side will face a stern test in the Italian city (6.30pm start) before heading back to South Africa to assess the state of their campaign ahead of the November international break.

With 10 points from their first two matches, after wiping the Scarlets and Zebre off the park with bonus-point victories, the big clash for the Capetonians is this one in Treviso. They’ve never won there before, and although they were outright winners during the previous battle between the sides at the DHL Stadium last season, the challenge away from home is a different kettle of fish.

In Cape Town, the Stormers ended the playoff hopes of Benetton, and now the Italian club can determine whether the inaugural URC champions finish their tour with a 100% win-record.

A win is all director of rugby John Dobson's men will be after, and they will want it by any means. Getting a bonus point will be extra; however, that will not be the focus.

Should they achieve this feat, it will arguably be the best away start they’ve had in the history of the competition. Normally known as a side that gets the travel blues early in the season, they’ve done well to bat away those ghosts. Defeating Benetton will show that they are on the right track, but it doesn’t help that the Italians have targeted this match, keeping their best players fresh for the duel.

However, according to assistant coach Rito Hlungwani, they are prepared for the challenge that lies ahead following the two previous matches.

“Our big assessment of the new plans we’ve implemented to win more games overseas will come after this game,” he said with reference to facing Benetton.

“We’ve beaten the Scarlets and Zebre overseas before; the test for us this week is Benetton. We’ve never beaten them at their home ground. After this game, we will be in a position to really look at the tour and the small adjustments we made in our travel and where we stay, when and how we train. That assessment will come after Saturday.

“Then we will start planning for the next one against Munster (29 November). At the moment, things (their travel results) are looking better than before. It will be nice to finish the tour with a victory; this game is extremely important.”

The Stormers will look to their set piece again to tame their opponents. The forwards have been ruling the scrums and lineouts in the first four matches, and it is a recipe that has been working.

While the backline has turned on the magic at times, they’ve also overplayed things in the previous games and will look to be sharper in Treviso. If they play too loosely, they will open the door for their hosts to strike.

Ahead of the November Tests, all their Springboks are available, which means Dobson will likely select his strongest side possible when he names his team on Friday.

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