Stormers dig deep for victory
• Cape side get the points but will lament soft moments
The Stormers had to show resolve and doggedness to beat down the challenge of the combative Sale Sharks in Cape Town on Saturday.
The home team dominated most of the match but soft moments in defence helped keep the spirited visitors in the contest. And while they had to show bite to counter Sale’s bark, it was the Stormers’ dexterity that set them apart in their 31-24 Champions Cup win.
The bonus-point win keeps them in the hunt in their pool, but they will need to beat Stade Francais in Paris next weekend to continue the fight.
Despite having the upper hand, especially in their monopoly of possession, the Stormers were susceptible to some soft moments and Sale Sharks were as sharp of tooth as they were of tongue to make an impact. Sure the Stormers, as has been their wont, had the upper hand in the scrum and were untroubled in the lineouts, but it was their ability to deliver telling passes that got the job done.
Man of the match Hacjivah Dayimani was again superb — not just when he was in wide open spaces, but his work rate close-in was exemplary.
That Dayimani made such an impact in a game that had so much menace and mongrel is testament to the growth of his game at the Stormers. He mesmerised, as did flyhalf Manie Libbok, while wing Leolin Zas and fullback Damian Willemse weren’t far behind. It took a moment of magic when Zas and Dayimani operated in concert down the blindside for the former’s second try for the Stormers to slip out of reach. But they let the visitors back in to make for a nervy climax.
Sale deserve kudos for staying in the fight. They were typically combative, knocking the Stormers out of their stride.
Lock Jonny Hill, hooker Agustin Creevy and flank Ben Curry toiled hard for the visitors. They did well with their backs to the wall, as evidenced in the fifth minute when Creevy exacted a crucial steal with the Stormers hot on the attack. Captain Curry also left his fingerprints early on when he poached the ball from the Stormers’ maul.
However, the number of attacking set pieces for the home side started to add up by the 10th minute. Libbok took the ball flat and created space for lock Adre Smith, who got over the gainline before deftly offloading to Dayimani. He stepped past the first defender before swivelling past the second to score.
Though Sale weathered more storms, they were the architects of their own demise when the hosts scored again. They overcomplicated an exit which contributed to a pedestrian attempted clearance kick from flyhalf Rob du Preez that allowed Suleiman Hartzenberg a charge-down try.
Du Preez, however, almost immediately redeemed himself when his delayed pass helped put Hill into space and saw the lock gallop free to score. Du Preez became more influential as the match wore on.
Though Libbok and Zas combined splendidly for the Stormers’ third try, Sale made sure they would start the second half with heightened interest when Creevy used his low centre of gravity to barge over for a converted try.
Sale applied more squeeze and a bit of off-the-ball gamesmanship in the second half and it served them well. The Stormers looked like they would pull well clear, but the English team would not stop snapping at their heels.