Youngsters impress in Stormers’ 77-0 rout

STORMERS coach Robbie Fleck was satisfied that his team met key objectives during their 77-0 preseason win over the SWD Eagles in George.

Despite scoring 11 tries during the rout‚ it was the fact that the Stormers kept a clean sheet as well as their aggressive breakdown work that pleased the coach most.

“There were two things we came from this game with and wanted to get right‚” Fleck said.

“One was our physicality‚ especially in the carrying and at the breakdown‚ the other one was our defensive effort.

“The conditions were difficult‚ but our breakdown was outstanding on attack.

“Whenever we come here it is always a dogfight at the breakdown‚ but our physicality was something that we could be proud of.

“Our defensive effort was good. We got off the line nicely and created a few try-scoring opportunities through our defence.”

Two of the Stormers’ tries were scored via intercepts‚ which were a result of defensive pressure on the Eagles.

In wet conditions‚ the coach was also pleased with the way the team adapted, although he was not entirely satisfied with ball control in contact.

Fleck used 32 players‚ including many under-21 players‚ and came away pleased with the performances of some of the youngsters.

“Our skill levels let us down a bit‚” Fleck said.

“But we can cut down on our mistakes. The intent and the effort was there and that is what we wanted to get out of this.

“It was pretty much an under-21 pack‚ which shows that we are building some good depth.

“It was a good opportunity for these youngsters to stake a claim and they all did pretty well.

Although there are some high-profile injuries in the Stormers squad‚ Fleck is confident that he has enough firepower at his disposal to make a positive start to what will be another demanding campaign.