Stormers vs Scarlets Prediction: Stormers will do better this time

At the Danie Craven Stadium, the Stormers and the Scarlets will compete against one another in the second week of the United Rugby Championship competition. While the Scarlets are coming off a loss to the Bulls in their previous game, the Stormers were able to pull off a miraculous road victory in week one. 

After claiming a victory over the Lions by a score of 35-33 in their opening game of the competition, the Stormers will have some positive momentum going into their matchup against the Scarlets. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was named the man of the match due to his outstanding performance in the win. He scored 16 points, including two tries, to earn the accolade. The Stormers held a 27-7 lead going into halftime, but the Lions staged a tremendous comeback in the second half, which resulted in the Stormers having to settle for a two-point victory in the end. However, the triumph for the Stormers came at a significant cost, as captain Salmaan Moerat suffered an injury to his pectoral during the match. Moerat competed in his first game after being out for a substantial amount of time due to knee surgery, but it appears like he will be out of action for a considerable amount of time once again. While Moeraat recovers from his injury, it is expected that Neethling Fouche will take over as captain of the Stormers.

Last Sunday's match between the Scarlets and the Bulls was the opening match of the 2023–24 season. Unfortunately for the Scarlets, the game did not go according to plan, and they were humiliated by a score of 63-21. Within the first 24 minutes of the match, their opponent scored three touchdowns, which allowed them to earn a bonus point. These tries were scored by Ruan Nortje, Cameron Hanekom, and Johan Grobbelaar. Things went from bad to worse for the Scarlets in the second half, as they allowed five more tries for their opponents to score during that span. The 63 points scored by the Bulls were the most that the Scarlets have ever allowed an opponent to score against them, surpassing the 60 points that the Osprey scored against them in 2010. Taine Plumtree, making his first appearance for the away team, was the lone bright spot for the visitors in this match, as he scored two tries.

After a terrible performance the previous week against the Bulls, the Scarlets do not look like they have yet reached their full potential, and I do not see that battling mindset from them. However, Stormers also struggled and were only able to beat Lions by the skin of their teeth in week one, but I have no doubt that the home team will get back to their best performance, especially because they will be playing a Scarlets team that has also been struggling. As a result, I will be wagering my money on the Stormers to not only win this match but also cover the spread with relative ease.