Battling Stormers grind out win

Stormers captain Siya Kolisi admitted they had to fight hard to eventually come away with a grinding 44-31 win over the Sunwolves in Singapore on Saturday.

With the home team taking a 31-20 lead shortly after the break, the Stormers eventually scored 24 unanswered points in the last 37 minutes to secure the win.

“It is tough to play in Singapore, with the humid conditions a big factor and a side that have improved a great deal,” Kolisi said.

The Stormers scored six tries to four but had to re- vert to more conventional pick-up and drive tactics to slow the game down.

“It was a tactic we decided on before the game and we knew what to expect from the Sunwolves after we played to a draw last year,” Kolisi said.

“It doesn’t get any easier with the Cheetahs, Chiefs and Lions to follow.”

Second-half tries by prop Wilco Louw and scrumhalf Dewald Duvenhage, and two tries in the final five minutes from hooker Bongi Mbonambi and wing Bjorn Basson were required against a team who ran out of steam in the second half.

The Stormers should, however, be concerned about the leaky defence in the first half when the Sunwolves ran in three scintillating tries to hold a 24-10 lead after 25 minutes.

Centre Derek Carpenter scored the first of his two tries as early as the sixth minute and it was followed by tries from wing Shota Emi and lock Liaki Moli, while Carpenter completed his brace shortly after halftime.

But the Sunwolves failed to score after the 43rd minute, while the Stormers’ first-half tries by centre EW Viljoen and flank Rynhardt Elstadt laid the foundation for their second-half fight.