Stormers sneak into top four
Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:01
Hurricane warning: Cory Jane fends off Gio Aplon
The Stormers held on in the face of a strong second-half showing by the Hurricanes to win 20-12 in their Super 14 match at Newlands, Cape Town, on Saturday.
The teams scored two tries each, but the win sees the Stormers sneaked into fourth place on the standings and now have their play-off prospects in their own hands.
This was a match of great quality and high intensity in a stadium bursting with spectator emotion, a stadium with absolute concentration on players of class and character.
For the Stormers it was a victory of character. For the Hurricanes it was a fightback of character as they dominated the second half. Afterwards the Hurricanes' coach Colin Cooper, disappointed, said: "I thought we deserved a point for our second-half performance." It was a fair point but they left with nothing - nothing but a great experience that is. The team that slaughtered the Bulls the week before broke this week on a rock of adamantine determination.
And how their fans loved them. There were 44 000 spectators, all of them filled with passionate intensity. They stood to their heroes when they ran onto the field and stood to them again when they left the field. They rose to applause each hero when he was replaced - JD Moller in pain holding a left arm, speedy Tonderai Chavhanga with a leg injury, burly Brian Mujati with an ankle injury, Andries Bekker, Peter Grant, Adriaan Fondse - each had his burst of worshipful applause.
It was a crowd worth playing for.
Newlands is the wettest part of South Africa and heavy winter rains fell overnight and on Saturday morning but it had enough respect to let the match go on dry shod. The Cape of Storms became the Cape of Stormers.
Neither team would leave with heads bowed for both had given full value in effort and adventure.
The Stormers scored 10 points in the second half when they dominated and ten points in the second half when they were dominated. They conceded no penalties in the first half and just one line-out. They put enormous pressure onto the Hurricanes' pack in scrums, twice threatening to score push-over tries. But it took them 24 minutes to get on the scoreboard.
They attacked first when Rickie January kicked and Schalk Burger won it back for his side. Sireli Naqelevuki swept past Ma'a Nonu and Luke Watson was oh-so close to scoring, but the Hurricanes were first over the line. The Stormers destroyed their scrum but Weepu broke, chipped and gathered and was over, but he had knocked on at the line. That scrum destroyed JD Moller's game for in that massive effort he was injured.
The Stormers mauled well and once rushed the Hurricanes many metres down the field. but soon afterwards Chavhanga sped down the right, chipped and pulled up with a leg injury which ended his match.
Jean de Villiers had a good run and then Rodney So'oialo was penalised for stomping and Grant made it 3-0.
When the Hurricanes switched direction from a scrum, Corey Jane was close. The scrum was their best attacking weapon.
Then Mujati charged down the left and Naqelevuki was close and François Louw closer. The Stormers made two penalties into five-metre line-outs. From the first they were over but held up. From the second they bashed and bashed and tall Bekker scored. Grant converted. 10-0 after 37 minutes.
That was the half-time score.
The Stormers started the second half well. Conrad Jantjes kicked a high up-and-under and caught the ball to set up an attack,. The Hurricanes were penalised at a tackle/ruck and Grant lobbed over the easy kick. 13-0 after 42 minutes.
At this stage Jerry Collins left the field with sore ribs.
This score seemed to galvanise the Hurricanes into action. They caught the kick-off - something they do especially well - and lifted the tempo and intensity of the match. For most of the rest of the half the Stormers defended. Even their second try came out of defence - a 95-metre spectacular.
For the Hurricanes Chris Masoe ran with power and determination. John Schwalger was shouldered out right at the cornerpost. Hosea Gear ran with speed and power and Nonu was close. They had two five-metre scrums but always the Stormers held them back and Januarie booted them far back.
Then came a great try. Naqelevuki got the ball a few metres from his line and went on a loping meander, passing to his right. Jantjes shaped to kick and suddenly burst towards his 22 where Nonu stopped him. The Stormers went left to Naqelevuki who ran down the touch-line and chipped ahead. Watson grabbed the bouncing ball and gave to speeding Bekker. He raced on and gave to hooker Brits who finished off the try with a dive.
The Stormers delighted in this try as if they had won, just won the final in fact. They deserved to enjoy such a try.
Grant converted. 20-0 after 55 minutes. There was a lot of time left and the Stormers may have been rejoicing prematurely.
Or so it seemed when a minute later the Hurricanes turned a free kick into a scrum and swung the ball right for a straightforward try by Gear which Gopperth converted from touch. 20-7 after 56 minutes.
At this stage the Stormers were getting no ball and even Neemia Tialata went on the charge. When Brits was penalised for a late tackle, Gopperth had a kick from in front and pulled it left. The gods of the Cape of Good hope were blowing in the home side's favour.
From the subsequent drop-out Masoe went on a fearsome charge and Zac Guildford's chip forced a five-metre scrum. From the scrum the Hurricanes bashed closer and closer and then swung the ball wide for a try by Conrad Smith.
Enough the gods of the Cape of Good Hope decided and they blew the conversion wide.
At this stage Mujati hobbled off and hooker Tiaan Liebenberg came on and the scrums that ensued were those affairs of emasculated gentility called uncontested scrums - seven of them in all.
The Hurricanes ran with speed and purpose and the Stormers picked and drove, but neither side added to the score.
Man of the Match: Cory Jane, Hosea Gear and Ma'a Nonu were always menacing and Rodney So'oialo did everything a forward could do. But to the victors, the spoils. It was a great team effort and all deserve equal praise. But some are more equal than others and so we single out two -Rickie Januarie and Schalk Burger, and, not for the first time, we suggest that Schalk Burger, for 80- minutes of relentless, selfless effort, above all his tackling as he homed in on whatever Hurricane was a threat and smashed him down, is our Man of the Match.
Moment of the Match: The try that Sireli Naqelevuki started and Schalk Brits finished.
Villain of the Match: Nobody at all. Hard and relentless as it was with great implications in the competitions, it was a well-mannered match.
Scorers:
For the Stormers:
Tries: Bekker, Brits
Cons: Grant 2
Pens: Grant 2
For the Hurricanes:
Tries: Gear, Smith
Con: Gopperth
Teams:
Stormers: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Tonderai Chavhanga, 13 Gcobani Bobo, 12 Jean De Villiers (captain), 11 Sireli Naqelevuki, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Luke Watson, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brian Mujati, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 JD Moller.
Replacements: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Ross Skeate, 19 Robbie Diack, 20 Bolla Conradie, 22 Tony Brown 22 Gio Aplon.
Hurricanes: 15 Cory Jane, 14 Hosea Gear, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Shannon Paku, 10 Jimmy
Gopperth, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Rodney So'oialo (captain), 7 Chris Masoe, 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 John Schwalger.
Replacements: 16 Hikawera Elliot, 17 Tim Fairbrother, 18 Bernie Upton, 19 Scott Waldrom, 20 Willie Ripia, 21 Tane Tu'ipulotu, 22 Zac Guildford.
Referee: James Leckie (Australia)
Touch judges: Ian Smith (Australia), JC Fortuin (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
