An out-of-character Sale Sharks side were put to the sword by the Stormers in the Cape Town heat.
A catalogue of handling errors merged with a remorselessly clinical Stormers side in ugly fashion for Sale, who failed to capitalise on promising build up work throughout the first half before a second half onslaught ensued.
Scrum dominance from Bevan Rodd against the revered Springbok Frans Malherbe helped create attacking platform but tries from JD Schickerling and Manie Libbok gave the hosts a half-time lead, before Sti Sithole, Warrick Gelant, Paul de Wet, and Andre-Hugo Venter tries ensured it was a day to forget in the second.
Whilst the scoring didn’t begin until the second quarter, it was the opening 20 that proved most frustrating for Sale. Despite the hard yards being put in to dominate early possession, territory, and the penalty count, Sale squandered numerous 22 entries with knock ons and needless infringements.
Sanderson had warned of Stormers’ quality in ‘messy transition’ pre-game and that soon became evident, with the likes of Libbok and Ben Loader profiting off Sale mistakes to counter dangerously before Wandisele Simelane stepped past Joe Carpenter excellently to set up Schickerling’s opener.
Libbok himself then crossed just four minutes later when Bevan Rodd took man and ball to knock on just eight metres from the line. The Springbok called for the box kick into a vacant backfield, claimed it on the full and stepped past Carpenter to score in devastating fashion, making up 95 metres in just two phases.
The half ended with Sale surrendering a promising attack with sloppy passing, and that frustration continued into the second when a Sam Bedlow cross field kick looked to have put Luke James over the line, only for the ball to be knocked on.
Ruthless in their punishment of Sale’s wastefulness, the hosts soon found their third when Sithole bundled over from close range. The bonus point followed ten minutes later through Gelant, the fullback scooping up a loose ball out wide and running in unopposed with both Rob du Preez and Carpenter in the bin for penalties in scramble defence.
De Wet’s fifth for the Stormers mirrored the previous two scores, the Stormers rooting themselves in Sharks’ territory with set piece ball before the replacement scrum half stepped his way over the line. It was then a lesson in continuity for Venter’s close-range effort.
