Stormers do just enough
Draw with daring Lions means Cape side now have unassailable lead in the SA Conference
at Newlands THE Stormers secured their third South African Super Rugby Conference title by the thinnest of margins when they were forced to dig deep in defence in the dying moments of the match.
The fearless Lions had drawn level three minutes from time through a try from replacement hooker Malcolm Marx, with the home team reduced to 14 men — prop Steven Kitshoff was in the sin bin for collapsing a rolling maul.
From the restart, centre Harold Vorster made a surging run only to be cut down inches from the line. The Lions needed to win a bonus point for scoring four tries to keep their slim chances of the conference title alive, but in the end the Stormers defence did just enough to keep them at bay. The Cape side moved to an unassailable 45 points on the SA standings.
In a match as tight as this, it needed individual brilliance to break it open and almost inevitably Stormers fullback Cheslin Kolbe delivered.
His chip and collect from an aimless Elton Jantjies punt led to the Stormers’ third try — in the 53rd minute — by Nizaam Carr. That gave the home team the breathing space needed and in the final analysis secured the Stormers place in the play-offs.
Kolbe was constantly probing for chinks in the Lions defence and wing Dillyn Leyds also ghosted into nooks and crannies, keeping the Lions defence on edge all evening.
Lions flank Jaco Kriel had another superb match while Vorster and lock Franco Mostert were also excellent.
Losing eighthman Duane Vermeulen before the match was a setback for the Stormers and they missed his direct ball carrying in a match in which the battle for every inch of territory was at a premium.
Vermeulen tweaked a nerve in his neck in Friday’s captain’s run — a recurrence of an injury that has plagued him for six weeks. Carr, who has a different skill set, was elevated to the starting lineup.
In Vermeulen’s absence, lock Eben Etzebeth popped up prominently in wide channels and the momentum created by the huge ball carrier on the flanks was valuable. Etzebeth twice carried in the move that led to a try from Leyds, who juggled a good pass from Juan de Jongh before sneaking in at the corner for his side’s second.
One of Etzebeth’s marauding runs ended Lions centre Alwyn Hollenbach’s night as he was knocked out trying to stop the big man. Minutes earlier, Kriel ran over Stormers flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis to cut his evening short as well.
It was that kind of game. There were lots of big hits, parity in the set pieces and only a few moments of spark from two teams locked in a grim battle.
For the first 10 minutes, the Lions hardly escaped their 22m area, defending well as the Stormers came at them in waves. From a lineout, the ball went left and scrumhalf Nic Groom eventually sniped over from close range after the Lions had made two heroic tackles on their tryline.
The Stormers deserved the try for their early dominance, but once the Lions earned possession they asked questions of the Stormers defence.
Winning a breakdown penalty, the Lions kicked to the corner and from the lineout, scrumhalf Faf de Klerk was able to sneak in next to the corner flag for his team’s opening try.
The Lions’ second try also began at a lineout when they again drove a five-metre set piece to the line. After blocking the maul, the visitors recycled and prop Schalk van der Merwe’s weight was enough to knock Etzebeth and Schalk Burger back for the score.
There were lots of big hits, parity in the set pieces, and only a few moments of spark
BIG MAN DOWN: The Stormers’ Eben Etzebeth is stopped by Armand van der Merwe of the Lions during yesterday’s tightly contested match at Newlands