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DHL Stormers back Ruhan Nel bursts through an attempted tackle by London Irish fly-half Paddy Jackson in Round 2 of the Heineken Champions Cup
It’s all to play for at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday, when DHL Stormers welcome ASM Clermont Auvergne in Round 4 of the Heineken Champions Cup.
The Stormers have lost only one of their three matches in the competition so far this season to lie fourth in Pool B – but that was to Clermont, 24-14, in the reverse fixture last month.
However, the hosts have the benefit of a terrific 28-14 win at London Irish in Round 3, when Clermont crashed 29-44 at home to Leicester Tigers to slip to eighth, the last qualification place in the pool.
The match kicks off at 7.30pm local time, and can be seen on SuperSport, beIN SPORTS, BT Sport and FloRugby.
Key quote
DHL Stormers head coach John Dobson: βWe are looking forward to playing in our conditions and hopefully we can get the point we need. For us, it is a privilege to be playing in this competition. We just want to go as far as we can.”
π welcome to Cape Town. Weβll see you inside DHL Stadium on Saturday night. https://t.co/W3ba8vmHuh
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) January 17, 2023
DHL Stormers
- Ruhan Nel made a round-high four clean breaks in Round 3.
- Junior Pokomela made 25 tackles last weekend – the most of Round 3. He has made more low tackles in the competition so far than any other player, with 24.
- Two Stormers players produced try assists with kicks in Round 3: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Dan du Plessis.
- Angelo Davids and Hacjivah Dayimani are in the top three players for metres made from support carries, having made 47 and 45 respectively.
ASM Clermont Auvergne
- Daniel Bibi Biziwu conceded a round-high five penalties at the weekend. Three of those penalties were at the scrum.
- Irae Simone made as many try assists in Round 3 as any other player, with two.
- Bautista Delguy has made six clean breaks – the most in the competition.
- Jules Plisson has made more crossfield kicks than any other player, with four.
Deon Fourie scored DHL Stormers' bonus-point try against Clermont
DHL Stormers booked a home tie in the Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 as they grinded out a 30-16 win over ASM Clermont Auvergne in Cape Town on Saturday.
Stormers took control of the game with four tries in 16 second-half minutes, Evan Roos, Herschel Jantjies, Daniel du Plessis and Deon Fourie all going over
Clermont led for much of the first 45 minutes thanks to Anthony Belleauβs three penalties, but were undone following the fly-half’s yellow card, Bautista Delguy crossing for their solitary try.
It was a turgid first half at the DHL Stadium, with neither side able sustain any meaningful pressure – DHL Stormers flanker Fourie was a key figure at the breakdown, as was Clermont counterpart Alexandre Fischer as turnovers regularly halted any attacking progress.
You can't take your eyes off this @THESTORMERS team for a second! ππ
Suleiman Hartzenberg breaks down the wing. He loses his shorts but keeps his composure to offload to Herschel Jantjies who provides a superb finish in the corner πππ#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/cWh0XK0MY5
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 21, 2023
Belleau dispatched two penalties to see Clermont six points clear by the half hour mark, with the TOP 14 sideβs robust defence frustrating DHL Stormers.
But the hosts would half the deficit moments before the break as fly-half Wolhuter, who was off target from range early in the game, nudged over the posts from halfway.
DHL Stormers drew level shortly after the restart as Wolhuter hit the target from the tee again, but Belleau struck an instant response for Clermont after more good work from Fischer.
However, Belleau was then shown yellow on 46 minutes as he was penalised for a deliberate knock-on, and it proved the turning point as DHL Stormers took full advantage of their extra body.
The DHL Stadium is πππππππ πΈπ₯π·
Hooker @josephdweba2 provides a filthy offload and Daniel du Plessis breaks through the line, weaves round the last man and scores @THESTORMERS' third try π#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/3NSQT7jvui
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 21, 2023
Two replacements notched their first two tries; flanker Roos powered over before scrum-half Jantjies finished well in the corner following terrific work from wing Suleiman Hartzenberg.
And a third score came before Clermont were back to their full complement, centre du Plessis producing a tremendous turn of pace to glide over after a smart offload from hooker Joseph Dweba.
Wing Delguy then hit back for Clermont as he raced clear from inside his own half with an hour played, but DHL Stormers secured the bonus point seconds later as Fourie dotted down amid a driving maul.
Replacement centre Sacha Mngomezulu was yellow-carded for a high tackle late on in a minor blemish on DHL Stormersβ evening, but the South African side will march into the knockout stage in their maiden Heineken Champions Cup campaign.
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