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Cape Town - Any worries the Stormers had over their lack of experience at flyhalf were eased somewhat by the performance of Jean-Luc du Plessis against the Sunwolves on Friday.
The 21-year-old made his first Super Rugby start and guided his side to a commanding 46-19 win with a personal points haul of 16.
Du Plessis was solid on defence, accurate with his clearances and clinical with his distribution while he showed his football skills in the game's final minute to score a superb individual try down the left flank.
Du Plessis, son of Springbok legend Carel du Plessis, is set for an extended run in the Stormers side after lengthy injuries to first Robert du Preez and then Kurt Coleman.
There were concerns over the Stormers' depth at No 10 after Coleman went down at training last week, but Du Plessis's performance has suggested that the playmaking position is in safe hands.
"I was very pleased," coach Robbie Fleck said of Du Plessis's performance after the game.
"For me, that moment where he put Kobus van Wyk away for his try was particularly pleasing and just shows the neat little touches that he does have.
"He’s a work in progress."
Probably the only blemish on Du Plessis's night was his goal-kicking as he finished with 5 from 9, though there were some difficult kicks from the touchline.
"He might be a little bit disappointed with his goal-kicking, but for his first start I thought he had a really good game," said Fleck.
"Defensively he was massive and he really got stuck in … that’s probably the problem with him is that he wants to chase everything.
"But that comes with experience … you pick your moments and there was enough there to give us a lot of confidence going forward."
The Stormers are next in action when they take on the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday, where Du Plessis will square off against the form flyhalf in the country - Elton Jantjies.
