Stormers blank error-ridden Sale 

01/11/2025 10:16 AM

MATCH REPORT: The Stormers thrashed Sale Sharks in front of 23,682 spectators by 40-0 to boost their Champions Cup hopes at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

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Sale dominated the territory in the first-half without being able to convert the pressure into points, with the Stormers capitalising on their limited opportunities after a stalemate opening 20 minutes.

The first penalty of the match went to the visitors after Simelane knocked on a high ball and Hartzenberg played the ball in an offside position.

*To recap all the action CLICK HERE

Another penalty due to poor kicking by Ungerer occurred moments later as Sale rolled the dice again to go for the corner but couldn't convert as the ball was knocked-on in the lineout.

Both sides squandered scoring opportunities in the opening 20 minutes, with the Stormers discipline being an issue conceding six in the process and being warned for it in the 17th minute.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 22nd minute when an outside break by Simelane set JD Schickerling up for a try on the occasion of his 50th Stormers cap which Libbok converted.

The Stormers soon added a second try in the 25th minute agter Sale were hammering away inside the hosts' 22 metre area and lost the ball, as Ungerer executed a pin-point box-kick which Libbok gathered to score under the posts which he converted himself.

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Frans Malherbe received a yellow card after repeated infringements at the scrum in the 35th minute but Sale couldn't capitalise on the opportunity yet again as the case was throughout the first-half.

Libbok kicked a loose ball through which was cleaned up at the back in the nick of time by Carpenter as Robert du Preez kicked it out on the stroke of half-time.

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The second-half started with Sale dominating the opening two minutes with ball-in-hand but knocked two scoring opportunities as the case was in the first-half.

Sale conceded a penalty for offside and the Stormers opted for the lineout and it paid off as Sithole barged over for the try in the 46th minute after a collapsed maul which Du Plessis converted.

The Stormers went wide moments after the restart as Hartzenberg made a break and chipped the ball ahead and was taken out by Robert du Preez and was yellow-carded for his actions in the 47th minute.

Joe Carpenter joined Du Preez in the sin bin in the 53rd minute for a deliberate knock-on as the Stormers went for the corner and played it wide as Gelant picked up a scrappy ball to go in for the bonus-point try in the 54th minute which went unconverted.

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A grubber kick by Jean Luc Du Plessis saw the Stormers forcing a maul and getting the turnover five meters from the Sale line and earn the scrum feed.

Paul de Wet got the pass from Roos who picked the ball up at the back of the scrum and went over for the Stormers' fifth try of the after which Libbok converted in the 64th minute.

A scrum penalty gave the Stormers another 22 metre entry as the Stormers bashed away at the line after an initial blindside trick play and Andre Hugo Venter forced his way over the line to dot another one down for the home side which Libbok converted in the 71st minute.

The drama wasn't over in the final moments of the match when Rekeiti Maasi-White was issued a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Jean Luc du Plessis in the 77th minute inside Sale's 22.

The Stormers opted for the scrum in midfield but the ball was knocked on in the final play to signal the end of the match.

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Scorers

For Stormers:
Tries: Schickerling, Libbok, Sithole, Gelant, De Wet, Venter
Cons: Libbok 4, Du Plessis

For Sale Sharks:
No score

Yellow cards: Frans Malherbe (Stormers - repeated scrum infringments 35'), Robert du Preez (Sale Sharks - taking a player out without the ball 47'), Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks - deliberate knock-on), Rekeiti Maasi-White (Sale Sharks - dangerous play: high tackle 77')

Teams

Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Ben Loader, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Marcel Theunissen, 7 Dave Ewers, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Salmaan Moerat (captain), 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Sti Sithole.
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Neethling Fouché, 19 Ruben van Heerden, 20 Evan Roos, 21 Paul de Villiers, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Jean-Luc du Plessis.

Sale Sharks: 15 Joe Carpenter, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Luke James, 12 Sam Bedlow, 11 Arron Reed, 10 Robert du Preez (captain), 9 Gus Warr, 8 Dan du Preez, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Jean-Luc du Preez, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ernst van Rhyn, 3 Willgriff John, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Bevan Rodd.
Replacements: 16 Tadgh McElroy, 17 Si McIntyre, 18 James Harper, 19 Josh Beaumont, 20 Ben Bamber, 21 Nye Thomas, 22 Rekeiti Maasi-White, 23 Ben Curry.

Referee: Ludovic Cayre (France)
Assistant referees: Evan Urruzmendi (France) & Vincent Blasco Baque (France)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)

Image credit @EPCR