Low-key victory over Kings sees tame Stormers’ season fizzle out

THE Stormers ground out an ugly win in the face of a committed Southern Kings defence, but the result had little bearing on the final playoff places, which were decided before the match kicked off.

The Stormers were warming up on the pitch while the Cheetahs game against the Blues, being played in Bloemfontein, was shown on the big screen. As a consequence the Cape side didn’t need social media to inform them that their slim playoff hopes had been extinguished — thanks to the Cheetahs’ victory.

The Stormers took an early 6-0 lead from two Demetri Catrakilis penalties and could have enjoyed a healthier head start had they been more clinical with the ball in hand.

The Stormers, after dealing with the early onslaught, gradually worked their way back into the match by keeping the ball through phases, which frustrated the Kings.

Inevitably, the Cape side started conceding avoidable penalties through simple illdiscipline at the breakdown. Kings players seemed incapable of releasing the ball and ball-carrier after making a tackle and their cynical approach wore down referee Lourens van der Merwe’s patience.

Stormers flyhalf Elton Jantjies put his side on the board with a 14th-minute penalty which, almost unbelievably, was his first successful kick and first points for the franchise since joining at the beginning of the season. He only took the shot at goal because regular kicker Joe Pietersen was in the blood bin at the time.

Pietersen stepped up seven minutes later to slot a second Stormers penalty while Kings prop Grant Kemp was in the sin bin for a no-arms, late hit on Bryan Habana.

Though there was parity on the scoreboard for much of the game, the Stormers scrum and work in the loose, where lock Eben Etzebeth was particularly impressive, eventually wore the Kings defence down.

From the umpteenth Kings breakdown penalty, Etzebeth won a five-metre lineout and from the ensuing rolling maul, Stormers skipper Deon Fourie dotted down for the first try on the stroke of halftime. He scored a second in similar fashion three minutes from the end.

The Stormers can use a horror injury run and a tough fixture list as mitigating circumstances for their inability to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2009. But the real reason they’re out of the race is that they don’t have the ability to attack effectively.

This was their 15th game of the season and they scored their 26th and 27th tries of the campaign. An average of oneand-a-half tries per game just isn’t good enough at this level.

They enjoyed large periods of possession and territory yesterday, but couldn’t find a way through the committed and organised Kings defence.

Shifting the ball left and right through multiple phases without making any yardage summed up how blunt their attack has become.

Jantjies was brought in to add spark, but he has been poor most of the season. Every now and then he has thrown a brilliant pass or made a half-break, but generally he hasn’t controlled the game as expected.

But it comes down to more than one player and the sight of the Stormers labouring to a win over the Kings yesterday, should be the final signal to their coaching staff that a change of approach is needed in 2014 if they hope to win this tournament at some stage.

Cape side scored their 26th and 27th try, an average of one-and-ahalf per game