The DHL Stormers have received official feedback from the Vodacom URC that they should have been awarded far more scrum penalties than they were in their season opener against Ospreys in Bridgend.
Forwards coach Rito Hlungwani said during an online press conference from Italy that the URC referees boss confirmed that referee Andrew Brace should have given the DHL Stormers at least four more scrum penalties in the 37-24 defeat to Ospreys.
“We have had some clarity, in terms of five scrum calls that were incorrectly called,” Hlungwani said. “I don’t want to make this a big thing. Everyone makes mistakes. But there were five scrums where we aligned.
“Usually we ask what we need to do better. We were right on four of them where we felt we should have got the penalty.
“Saying that, we are still looking for improvement every single week.”
Hlungwani said that this doesn’t mean the Stormers are shifting the blame away from their own faults in the match, as they let a 13-3 first-half lead slip.
“There are definitely things we could have done better. Everyone will agree that we struggled to get out of our half,” he explained. “The moment you give a team a lot of opportunities in your half, it gets tough. The dam will break. It was within our control.
“The best thing we can do now is to keep working hard. It is what it is.”
The Stormers will next take on Zebre in Parma, with the Italian side soaring after stunning 2023 champions Munster in one of the major upsets in the competition’s history.
“Zebre is a very dangerous team. The big difference we’ve seen since last season is that they keep the ball through more phases without making a mistake,” Hlungwani said.
“They will test your defense for a long time. You can also see the hand of the new coaches in their structure. We are going to have to stay disciplined on defense and deal with their physical intensity.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
