Stormers seek vast improvement against Benetton

Having lambasted his team's performance against Connacht as the worst in a few seasons, Stormers director of rugby John Dobson can expect a positive response from his players when they take on Benetton in the United Rugby Championship in Cape Town on Saturday.

Though the Stormers enthralled the home crowd with their attacking prowess in the first half of their match against Connacht last 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 but the hosts marginally made more line breaks.

With the visitors chasing the game, the Stormers were pegged 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 their defensive frailties against Connacht 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 opportunities.

Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen observed Benetton is the team that concedes the fewest penalties in the competition after his team's defeat to the Italians at Ellis Park last weekend.

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 suggested Benetton are skilled at dictating the tempo of the game and they make well-timed interventions at defensive breakdowns.

On that score, the Stormers will clearly have their work cut out 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 on Saturday.

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

What further spices up the encounter is Benetton are just one log point better off but three spots higher up a heavily congested midtable. There are three teams who could potentially slip past the Stormers should they trip up on Saturday.

The Lions have entrusted Jaco Visagie with the captain's armband for their clash against Connacht at Ellis Park on Saturday. Regular captain Francke Horn suffered a knee injury in last weekend's defeat to Benetton.

In search of a try-scoring bonus-point win, the Lions have opted for a mobile pack, with Morgan Naude starting at loosehead prop, while JC Pretorius, Renzo du Plessis and Jarod Cairns make up the back row.

They will, however, miss the hulking presence of the injured Ruan Venter who was one of a few Lions who emerged with their reputation intact after last Saturday's defeat.

They also have a new-look midfield, with Bronson Mills combining with the returning Henco van Wyk, while Richard Kriel is restored to the right wing.

Defeat will doom the Lions to a fourth straight season outside the competition's top eight.