John Dobson surprised by Stormers' scrum dominance in Sharks derby victory

The Stormers ended the Sharks' unbeaten start to the United Rugby Championship (URC) season with a six-try bonus-point win at DHL Stadium on Saturday, avenging their two defeats in last season's coastal derby.

Hacjivah Dayimani scored twice as the hosts crossed the tryline five times in the second half, having taken a 22-8 lead into the break. The result also saw the Stormers move above their coastal rivals on the standings after a difficult opening tour against Connacht and Edinburgh.

While the attacking display delighted the home crowd of more than 40,000, the platform was established by a forward pack that repeatedly put the Sharks under pressure at scrum time.

Facing Springbok props Ox Nche and Thomas du Toit, the Stormers secured a pushover try from a five-metre scrum and won several penalties against the Sharks' feed. Wilco Louw and Ntuthuko Mchunu led the initial effort before fellow Springbok Neethling Fouche and youngster Vernon Matongo continued the pressure after the interval.

"I didn't think we would get it so easy so quickly, that is the truth," Dobson said.

"I didn't expect us to get five or six scrum penalties. If you look at the personnel, it's a nice reminder that rugby is a collective effort. It's a team thing, the way our back-five brought it."

Dobson credited scrum coach Brok Harris and the forwards for their work, while acknowledging that the Sharks had enjoyed moments of dominance themselves.

The Stormers' improvement was not limited to the scrum. Their lineout had been a major concern in the defeat to Edinburgh last week, but the Cape side produced a more assured performance in that department, with assistant coach Rito Hlungwani, lock JD Schickerling and the forwards earning praise for their response.

"It was a pretty compelling performance by us. I never thought we were in trouble," Dobson said.

"Credit to Rito Hlungwani, JD Schickerling and the forwards. There was the obvious fault correction from last week, but I thought physically and defensively we stood up."

The Stormers also benefited from the return of several Springboks, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian Willemse and Cobus Reinach adding experience and quality to the side.

Dobson was particularly impressed by the understanding between Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Willemse, whose positioning and rotation helped the Stormers find an attacking rhythm that had been missing during their tour.

"Sacha and Damian, you can just see it. Their backfield rotation and understanding of where each other are - it's magic," he said.

"We obviously had a hard time in Edinburgh, but we had a guy who was writing matric exams this time last year at 10, in for one of the world's best playmakers. It's going to make a difference. But they really did inject a lot."

The Stormers will now look to carry their improved set-piece work, physicality and attacking cohesion into the Champions Cup, where Bristol Bears visit Cape Town on Saturday.

After a result that addressed several concerns from their opening rounds, Dobson will be keen to see his side reproduce the same standards against European opposition.

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