Cape Town - It was far from a complete performance, but the Stormers got the job done against Zebre in Parma to secure their third United Rugby Championship (URC) victory (37-20) and their first on tour on Saturday.
The Stormers' new centre pairing of Sacha Mngomezulu and debutant Alapati Leuia looked good right from the start of the game, with the 20-year-old Mngomezulu especially impressive for the entire clash.
He handled the goalkicking responsibilities in his first URC start and converted all four tries, three penalties and also scored a try.
The Junior Springbok capped a superb performance to score the bonus-point try in the final play of the game.
"Out of nothing, @thestormers have their third try!" ⛈ @Vodacom #URC | #ZEBvSTO pic.twitter.com/XpEYPRxZO6
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) October 8, 2022
While there wasn't much to push fans to the edge of their seats in that first half, there were some good moments.
This season Zebre, who finished at the very bottom of the URC log in the inaugural season and managed only one win in 18 games, got fans talking for all the right reasons in the second edition.
Not only have they shown major improvement and looked a serious threat on attack, but their results have also shown their growth.
While they lost all three games so far this season, they got close to pulling off a major upset against Irish giants Leinster at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, where they lost 33-29.
They then almost got the better of the Sharks, but came up short 42-37, and against Munster in Cork, they were also competitive.
On Saturday, however, it was the Italians' kicking game that put the Stormers under pressure.
The hosts got on the scoreboard first after a strong scrum led to a maul try by Junior Pokomela in the 10th minute. Mngomezulu added the conversion to give John Dobson's side an early 7-0 lead.
Mngomezulu stretched their lead in the first quarter after a string of penalties by the hosts to go 10-0 up, and while there would be no points for a good period in the opening half, the visitors went 17-0 up after 35 minutes when prop Neethling Fouche barged over for a try after they forced their way into the 22 with a powerful maul.
The home side got their first points with a try from scrumhalf Chris Cook, just before the break (17-7).
After a rather lacklustre first half, the Stormers had lot to improve on after the break.
Zebre struck first in the second half with tighthead prop Ion Neculai scoring to make it a three-point game (17-14).
The Stormers' defensive pressure on the hosts led to their third try by Springbok scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies after Mngomezulu kicked the ball ahead before gathering and showing just why he's so special, with an effortless offload to Jantjies (24-14) in the 51st minute. Mngomezulu, again, made no mistake with adding the extras.
Zebre added three more a few minutes later (24-17), but Mngomezulu cancelled that out with a penalty of their own in the 62nd minute (27-17).
The teams then traded penalties until Mngomezulu dealt the final blow late in the match to seal the bonus point for his team.
The Stormers next travel to Wales to take on Ospreys on Friday.
Point scorers:
Zebre 20 (7) - Tries: Chris Cook, Ion Neculai Conversions: Tiff Eden (2) Penalties: Eden (2)
Stormers 37 (17) - Tries: Junior Pokomela, Neethling Fouche, Herschel Jantjies Sacha Mngomezulu Conversions: Mngomezulu (4) Penalties: Mngomezulu (3)
IOL Sport