Stormers hold on to reach quarterfinals
They were far from their flawless best but the Stormers again succeeded in bringing a collective smile to the Cape Town Stadium.
They won their Champions Cup round of 16 clash against Harlequins 32-28 despite not gaining a clear advantage in the set pieces in a match that nonetheless thrilled and delighted throughout.
The home team proved more assertive in the collisions, while their defence was beyond reproach.
They will be disappointed that they abandoned those positions in the closing minutes.
Dogged defence on their try line just before the break was the stuff of champions.
Earlier in the half they applied almost all the pressure.
The Stormers made four times the amount of metres than the visitors.
Two moments of sheer magic, the first within a team context, the second through singular virtuosity helped separate the Stormers from game but limited opponents.
The first came straight from the kickoff when the Stormers got things going in sensational fashion. Manie Libbok’s cross kick found Seabelo Senatla who offloaded to Dan du Plessis who made progress near the touchline.
The Stormers then used the entire width of the field to the right with Hacjivah Dayimani finding Suleiman Hartzenberg with a cunningly deft offload.
The wing’s inside pass found Deon Fourie unmarked and the crowd was in raptures.
The second was a contortionist’s act with hints of Harry Houdini escapism and Paul
Adams ripping a googly.
When Damien Willemse was about to take possession of the ball under duress and with space to the touchline at a premium, his prospects of scoring a try was, lets say, touch and go.
Somehow, however, he lost Joe Marchant, who also had designs on the ball, and despite his momentum taking him there, Willemse kept his left foot in play before contorting his body mid air, while having the wherewithal to place the ball inside the goal area.
Earlier, star of the match Deon Fourie exacted a steal, albeit by slightly dubious means but it set in motion a chain a events that led to Steven Kitshoff’s try.
The Stormers had the lead but they weren’t entirely in charge. Worryingly, their lineout again lacked authority.
The scrums proved a battle ground in which neither side gained proper traction. Visiting loose head prop Joe Marler and Co held the edge.
All too often the shrill of the referee’s whistle brought matters to a halt but it didn’t help that the turf could not hold up.
Thankfully the surface will be relaid at the end of the season.
If the Stormers could not get the stellar scrum cast in lights, they certainly took full toll when they deployed their maul in positions of promise.
The Stormers will meet Exeter Chiefs or Montpellier in the quarterfinals and they will have to be better.
Stormers (32): Tries: Deon Fourie (2). Steven Kitshoff, Damien Willemse, Willie Engelbrecht. Conversions: Manie Libbok (2). Penalty: Libbok.
Tries: Alex Dombranndt (2), André Esterhuizen, Joe Marchant. Conversions: Marcus Smith (4).