Predictable Stormers win scrappy game
LOCK Pieter-Steph du Toit’s brilliant season continued as he played an influential part in the Stormers’ first Super Rugby win in nearly five weeks yesterday.
Du Toit poached three Cheetahs lineouts in the second half, which kept his side going forward at times when the Cheetahs threatened to comeback in a see-sawing match.
Flank Siya Kolisi also had a fine match, while Cheetahs backrower Oupa Mohoje gave his best performance of the season as he covered every blade of the Newlands turf.
Victory took the Stormers to 36 points on the standings and top of the Africa 1 conference, although the Bulls were in action against the Lions later.
The Stormers have been in a rut for a month and yesterday it took almost 40 minutes to finally peer over the parapet and see some greener pastures.
On paper this should have been a straightforward assignment for the Cape side, given the wide gap between the teams in the standings.
For 36 minutes the Stormers were locked in a dire arm-wrestle with nothing to choose between the sides, including the score, which read 9-9 after three penalties apiece for flyhalves Jean-Luc du Plessis and Fred Zeilinga.
But after a series of driving lineouts, which the Cheetahs defended by hook and crook, the Stormers gained some momentum and the creaking Cheetahs defence finally cracked.
Two tries in six minutes for the Stormers, either side of half-time, blew the match open.
The first had its genesis when flank Siya Kolisi burst through a tackle before finding scrumhalf Nic Groom, who, in turn, offloaded to a marauding Pieter-Steph du Toit. The lock was hauled down metres short of the line.
From the ensuing ruck, flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis yelled to Groom to steer play to the left where centres Damian de Allende and debutant Daniel du Plessis were two-on-two with the Cheetahs defence.
Groom heeded the call and De Allende cleverly delayed his pass, allowing Daniel du Plessis the space to wrongfoot wing Sergeal Pietersen and show good strength to drag the covering Michael van der Spuy and Fred Zeilinga over the line.
Three minutes into the second half Stormers wing Leolin Zas snaffled a loose pass to intercept on his own 22-metre line and raced 80 metres to score.
Coach Robbie Fleck had gambled on selecting Daniel du Plessis when Juan de Jongh cried off earlier in the week with a back problem, but it was an inspired selection.
The youngster looked comfortable at this level and his finish was a combination of composure and intelligence. He kept the ball under his left arm to fend the contact from the Cheetahs cover, and then transferred it to his right hand while being tackled to reach out to score.
Tries for Cheetahs No 8 Paul Schoeman and wing Sergeal Pietersen ensured that the game went to the wire, but when Stormers wing Kobus van Wyk scored from long range 15 minutes from time the Stormers had some respite.
The match was a niggly affair, with several off-the-ball skirmishes, a sure sign that both sides were frustrated.
Springbok teammates Lood de Jager and Eben Etzebeth had one particularly angry push and shove, but there was no real damage
Despite the win it was a far from compelling performance from the Stormers, and, in truth, neither of these sides look like play-off material.
The nature of the tournament means that the Stormers should make the quarterfinals, but, unless they find a way to be more ruthless on attack and less predictable, they won’t go further than that.