Stormers have their work cut out in the form of Benneton

Having lambasted his team’s performance as the worst in a few seasons, Stormers director of rugby John Dobson will have just cause expecting a positive response when they take on Benetton in the United Rugby Championship (URC) at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

Though they enthralled the home crowd with their attacking prowess in the first half of their 34-29 home win against Connacht on Saturday, it was their performance without the ball that left a lot to be desired. They were at times careless and too loose.

Connacht enjoyed more possession, forcing the Stormers to make significantly more tackles, though the hosts did manage marginally more line breaks.

With the visitors chasing the game, the Stormers were left on the back foot with their inability to exact steals at the breakdown inviting more pressure. Losing substitute Deon Fourie, with the stalwart barely able to get a touch of the ball, did not help their cause.

Given those defensive frailties, the Stormers will this weekend have to be on the money against a team laden with Italian internationals who are not just proficient in attack but also frugal in presenting the opposition attacking opportunity.

Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen made the observation after his side’s defeat to the Italians at Ellis Park last weekend that Benetton have conceded the fewest penalties in the competition.

Benetton are adept at attacking from deep but they also probe with precision when they are gifted favourable field position. They make teams prone to soft moments pay, as the Lions discovered last weekend.

Van Rooyen also said Benetton are skilled at dictating the tempo of the game and they make well-timed interventions at defensive breakdowns.

The Stormers will clearly have their work cut out on that front and will need to display all round improvement on Saturday. They cannot rely on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and their other game breakers to run them out of trouble — a far more coherent effort will be required against the proxy Azzurri side.

The Stormers need to solidify their position in the top eight, having played their way into the quarterfinal spots last weekend.

Further spicing up the encounter is that Benetton are just one log point better than the Stormers but are three spots higher in a heavily congested midtable. There are three teams who could potentially slip past the Stormers should they trip up on Saturday.

URC fixtures

(SA times)

Friday: Glasgow Warriors vs Bulls, Scotstoun Stadium (8.35pm)

Cardiff Rugby vs Munster (8.35pm)

Zebre vs Edinburgh (8.35pm)

Saturday: Lions vs Connacht, Ellis Park (4pm)

Ospreys vs Dragons (4pm)

Stormers vs Benetton Rugby, Cape Town Stadium (6.15pm)

Llanelli Scarlets vs Leinster (6.15pm)

Ulster vs Sharks, Kingspan Stadium (8.35pm)