RUGBY NEWS - With poor defence being compounded by too much lateral movement across the field on attack, DHL Stormers coach Robbie Fleck must have had a horrible sense of dejavu during the first half of his team’s Vodacom Super Rugby clash with the Sunwolves.

Last season the Stormers were fortunate to draw at the venue after waking up almost too late to the fact they were playing the wrong game against the Japanese team at the National Stadium in Singapore. Fortunately for Fleck though this season there appears to be an ability to read the game and react a lot quicker, and although defence was still a problem, the Stormers had made the adjustment that switched the momentum in their direction when they went to halftime four points down.

They had been 24-10 down but by tightening up and being careful about ball retention in taking the ball up through the middle through their big men, the Stormers looked like they had settled. That was confirmed after the break when the halfbacks Dewaldt Duvenage and Robert du Preez took greater control with their boots and also became more direct in carrying the ball. The upshot was that the Stormers ran out relatively comfortable 44-31 victors.

The fact that the Sunwolves were able to score four tries in response to the six from the Cape side meant the Stormers didn’t get a bonus point, but it was still more than they managed a year ago and Fleck was happy with not only the win but also the way it was achieved.