The Stormers have discovered a simple recipe for breaking down defences: send the big men through the front door, then tell the backs to stop admiring the wreckage and cash in.
That was the blunt message from forwards coach Rito Hlungwani after the Stormers powered to a 29-15 bonus-point victory over Connacht to open their 2026/27 United Rugby Championship campaign.
The Stormers’ pack did the dirty work with sleeves rolled up and shoulders down, repeatedly sending forwards into first receiver and smashing over the advantage line.
The statistics tell the story.
Debutant Riley Norton led all carriers with 20, followed by Hacjivah Dayimani on 19 and Springbok Andre-Hugo Venter on 18.
It was rugby with a shovel rather than a scalpel, designed to drag Connacht’s defence into the trenches and squeeze space out wide.
Hlungwani, however, has no intention of putting his forwards on a treadmill and then wrapping them in cotton wool.
“I told Ruhan [Nel] earlier he mustn’t feel sorry for our forwards. These guys train really hard, and we prepare them for the worst-case scenario,” he said.
“When you see them working like that, know that they’ve been prepared to do so.
“I don’t want them [the backs] to go get it into their heads that we must try and save the forwards’ legs. We go six-two [forward-heavy on the bench], so these guys must get in there and work.”
That six-two bench split is hardly a whisper of intent. It is a billboard.
The Stormers want their forwards to keep punching holes through the middle until opposing defences become compressed and vulnerable.
Then comes the sting in Hlungwani’s tail.
He wants the backs to recognise the space created by the forwards’ battering ram and turn possession into points.
“In saying that, I would appreciate it if the backs sometimes take advantage of the hard work; how we get the [opposition] defence tight and utilise that space to score on the outside,” he said.
“You’ll see that a lot; our forwards are going to go through the front door. They train hard to get that right, and you mustn’t feel sorry for them.”
The danger is obvious. If the forwards repeatedly win the gain-line battle without the backs pulling the trigger, possession can become an expensive exercise in cardio.
Hlungwani accepts the timing must improve.
The @THESTORMERS forwards are being sent through the front door. Rito Hlungwani says don’t feel sorry for them. They train for the punishment.
Now he wants the backs to be “smarter” and turn that hard graft into points. 29-15 vs @connachtrugby . @EdinburghRugby next. #SSRugby… pic.twitter.com/nUBpvg2xbo— Adnaan Mohamed (@Adnaan1111) September 29, 2026
“I would appreciate that if we carry hardest forwards and tighten up the defence. I would appreciate, we all would appreciate the backs taking the ball and manipulating the space. But it takes timing and understanding.
“But our job is to make sure we come through the middle and tighten up the defence. So that’s always going to be there. It’s just that, you know, getting the timing right of when to get the ball out to the backs.
“Yeah, so the backs must be told to work a bit smarter,” he quipped.
That is the challenge for Edinburgh on Friday.
The Stormers have shown they can bring the hammer. Now their backs must prove they know where to swing it.
