cyRil
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written by cyRil
Blues 26-28 Stormers
Last-gasp Burger try seals dramatic comeback win
The visiting Stormers kept up with the SupeRugby pace-setters and solidified their position at the summit of the South African conference by stealing a final-minute 28-26 win over the Blues in Auckland on Friday night.
With little over a minute left on the clock, Stormers captain Schalk Burger burrowed his way through a host of bodies to seemingly plant the ball down to tie the scores at 26-26. After extended consultation with the TMO, Keith Brown confirmed the score to rapturous applause from the traveling bench; and replacement Dewaldt Duvenhage kept his nerve to convert, awarding the team from Western Province their 9th win of the season.
Mathewson was a constant threat for the Blues
It was the Blues that got off to the better start, with Luke McAlister putting them on the board first with an early penalty â€" an advantage they would not relinquish until the very last minute.
As you would expect, their opponents came storming back, and a series of quick-fire penalties were awarded for infringements at the ruck, but young fly-half Lionel Cronje was wasteful with his opportunity at goal, nudging a relatively easy 3-pointer left of the sticks.
Despite this, the Stomers were dominating possession and play, looking to impose their game-plan from the offset, but could have made more clever use of the large amount of ball they were receiving in the wet conditions.
This profligacy in possession soon came back to bite them, as the Blues extended their lead with a well-crafted try in the 12th minute that made the most of their time with the ball in hand.
Some excellent work from Blues stand-off Stephen Brett saw the playmaker step two defenders and make a clean break through the heart of the defence. With only Conrad Jantjes to beat he drew the attentions of the full-back before shipping the ball on to his half-back partner Alby Mathewson who cantered over and under the posts. The conversion was dealt with easily by McAlister; 10-0 Blues, despite territory stats reading 84% in the visitors’ favour.
This strong platform and wealth of ball was exactly what the Stormers management and players would have wanted, yet the team seemed crowded in the backs â€" meaning that they could not create any flowing or meaningful attacking play, as their wide men were clustered together â€" and naive kicking from the inexperienced Cronje meant that possession was handed simply and limply back to the hosts without the away side making any impact on the defensive line or the score board.
This was amended in the 17th minute as Jerome Kaino was pinged for playing the ball on the floor, 40 metres out but right in front of his posts, a chance for points that was taken this time by Cronje; 10-3 Blues.
The Blues were looking much more fluid and incisive with ball in hand, and within minutes the 10-point lead had been restored when referee Brown penalised the Stormers for not rolling away â€" an offence that was frustratingly common throughout this tense encounter. McAlister had no problem notching up his second penalty of the match, taking his personal points tally to 100 for the season and his side’s lead to 13-3 on the night.
The Stormers had another chance to cut the Blues’ lead with 23 minutes gone after Luke Braid was seen to enter a ruck from the side, but Cronje, looking in some discomfort, pushed his penalty shot well wide of the posts, immediately leaving the field injured; and with Peter Grant already side-lined, it was down to replacement scrum-half Duvenhage to bravely assume the pivot position and kicking duties for the remainder of the game.
Blues scrum-half Mathewson was proving himself a constant nuisance to the Stormers, and from a turnover stabbed a tantalising kick through the defence that wing Bryan Habana had to deal with before it crossed the dead ball line, awarding good position and a 5m scrum to the Blues.
From this situation deep in the opposition 22, the Blues were awarded a penalty for the Stormers’ front-row standing up at the scrum, and McAlister piled further pressure on the visitors by calmly stroking the ball through the posts; 16-3 Blues.
Mathewson was looking to keep the tempo and the scoreboard ticking over for his side, and a home penalty on half-way soon after was tapped by the maestro. The Stormers were finding it hard to contain him, and some cynical play from loose forward Francois Louw brought another penalty to the Blues and a stint in the sin-bin for the Springbok flanker.
McAlister was on target once again, and they took a comfortable 19-3 lead into the break as the visitors were left to ponder how they had fallen so far behind so quickly.
The second half started in similar fashion with the Blues looking to make the most of the ball they had with a good break from left wing Sherwin Stowers.
It was the Stormers that made the first breakthrough of the second period, however, with a 43rd minute penalty slotted by Duvenhage for Blues centre Jared Payne not rolling away at ruck-time.
It was certainly a lively game and a good one for the neutrals with both sides giving their all and players trying to make something happen for their team.
The dependable McAlister was one such player, and he made a searing break from his own 22 that brought play deep into Stormers territory, following a fortuitous bounce that landed the ball straight in his hands.
From this the Blues forwards took the initiative and built the phases and pressure, bringing play up to the try-line, but stout Stormers defence saw their assailants out and over into touch.
And this resolute spirit in defence was mirrored in attack soon after, as Juan de Jongh scored his side’s first try of the night in the 58th minute.
The Blues defence was seemingly coping with wave after wave of Stormers attacks consummately, but indecision on the left gave outside centre Johann Sadie the sniff of a break, which he took spotting a half gap in the line before offloading to his midfield partner de Jongh who showed ample skill and strength to step and fend flailing defenders and race under the uprights. The try was duly converted by Duvenhage and the Stormers were well and truly back in the game; 19-13 Blues.
The crowd had barely had time to draw breath before the stand-in fly-half was lining up another conversion.
Some explosive play from the Stormers backs showed they had rediscovered their cutting edge and were mercilessly manipulating some tired Blues defenders. The dangerous Sadie received the ball wide left once more and scythed through the line before beating another hapless defender and out-pacing the remainder of the Blues backs to dive over.
Duvenhage missed his attempt to put his side into the lead for the first time, but the Stormers backs were up and momentum had definitely swung their way heading into the game’s final quarter.
Burger and his men put in a colossal second-half effort
Just as they seemed to be making headway though, they presented another chance to the Blues to relieve the pressure on them and once again extend their lead. But Mr. Reliable on night, McAlister, fluffed his lines with his first miss from the tee of the game.
The Stormers were reprieved, but not for long.
A mis-placed lineout handed possession back to the Blues in opposition territory; the ball was slung quickly out wide and a good miss-pass from Brett found replacement Rene Ranger who grubbered on â€" a bobbling and bouncing ball that Gio Aplon could not deal with at all â€" leaving Blues full-back Lachie Munro to gratefully dive on for a 5-point score.
McAlister made amends for his earlier miss by converting this time, to give his side an eight-point advantage with 10 minutes to go, seemingly sealing the game; Blues leading 26-18.
But the Stormers were by no means finished, and a penalty awarded to them at a scrum gave them the chance to get back within a score of their opponents â€" a chance taken by Duvenhage who expertly curled his shot in and through the posts from out wide.
To illustrate the fast-and-loose nature of the game, the Stormers then proceeded to provide their hosts a further opportunity to sew the game up, with scrum-half Ricky Januarie penalised for being offside at a lineout; but McAlister lost his footing upon taking the kick, with his effort agonisingly shaving the left-hand post.
The match was still very much up for grabs, and with four minutes to go it was potentially defined by a kick from Blues number 8, Peter Saili that sailed out on the full and would have left his coach, Pat Lam, ripping his hair out in frustration.
The platform had been supplied for the Stormers inside the Blues half and they were applying heavy pressure, searching for the breakthrough that would at least tie the game.
With 2 minutes left on the clock, ill-discipline from Anthony Boric was penalised, and the Stormers poked the ball into the corner for a lineout, well aware that this was their last chance of getting anything from the encounter.
Captain Burger won the ball well at the back and gathered his forwards to him for an almighty shunt towards the whitewash. The Blues had initially done well to hold up their opposing forwards, but a big push got the Stormers rolling and it was Burger who emerged from the rubble to place the pill on the line.
Duvenhage held his nerve to convert, and although there was still time to play the visiting South Africans clung onto their two-point lead with Januarie gleefully kicking the ball dead and sending the rest of his team wild in celebration of an important victory.
Star Man: Juan de Jongh. Didn’t put a foot wrong all game, hard tackler, strong runner and was the catalyst for the Stormers comeback.
5-metre flop: Peter Saili. The big back-rower carried well in the game, but his huge gaffe had dire consequences on the result.
Blues 26-28 Stormers
Last-gasp Burger try seals dramatic comeback win
The visiting Stormers kept up with the SupeRugby pace-setters and solidified their position at the summit of the South African conference by stealing a final-minute 28-26 win over the Blues in Auckland on Friday night.
With little over a minute left on the clock, Stormers captain Schalk Burger burrowed his way through a host of bodies to seemingly plant the ball down to tie the scores at 26-26. After extended consultation with the TMO, Keith Brown confirmed the score to rapturous applause from the traveling bench; and replacement Dewaldt Duvenhage kept his nerve to convert, awarding the team from Western Province their 9th win of the season.
Mathewson was a constant threat for the Blues
It was the Blues that got off to the better start, with Luke McAlister putting them on the board first with an early penalty â€" an advantage they would not relinquish until the very last minute.
As you would expect, their opponents came storming back, and a series of quick-fire penalties were awarded for infringements at the ruck, but young fly-half Lionel Cronje was wasteful with his opportunity at goal, nudging a relatively easy 3-pointer left of the sticks.
Despite this, the Stomers were dominating possession and play, looking to impose their game-plan from the offset, but could have made more clever use of the large amount of ball they were receiving in the wet conditions.
This profligacy in possession soon came back to bite them, as the Blues extended their lead with a well-crafted try in the 12th minute that made the most of their time with the ball in hand.
Some excellent work from Blues stand-off Stephen Brett saw the playmaker step two defenders and make a clean break through the heart of the defence. With only Conrad Jantjes to beat he drew the attentions of the full-back before shipping the ball on to his half-back partner Alby Mathewson who cantered over and under the posts. The conversion was dealt with easily by McAlister; 10-0 Blues, despite territory stats reading 84% in the visitors’ favour.
This strong platform and wealth of ball was exactly what the Stormers management and players would have wanted, yet the team seemed crowded in the backs â€" meaning that they could not create any flowing or meaningful attacking play, as their wide men were clustered together â€" and naive kicking from the inexperienced Cronje meant that possession was handed simply and limply back to the hosts without the away side making any impact on the defensive line or the score board.
This was amended in the 17th minute as Jerome Kaino was pinged for playing the ball on the floor, 40 metres out but right in front of his posts, a chance for points that was taken this time by Cronje; 10-3 Blues.
The Blues were looking much more fluid and incisive with ball in hand, and within minutes the 10-point lead had been restored when referee Brown penalised the Stormers for not rolling away â€" an offence that was frustratingly common throughout this tense encounter. McAlister had no problem notching up his second penalty of the match, taking his personal points tally to 100 for the season and his side’s lead to 13-3 on the night.
The Stormers had another chance to cut the Blues’ lead with 23 minutes gone after Luke Braid was seen to enter a ruck from the side, but Cronje, looking in some discomfort, pushed his penalty shot well wide of the posts, immediately leaving the field injured; and with Peter Grant already side-lined, it was down to replacement scrum-half Duvenhage to bravely assume the pivot position and kicking duties for the remainder of the game.
Blues scrum-half Mathewson was proving himself a constant nuisance to the Stormers, and from a turnover stabbed a tantalising kick through the defence that wing Bryan Habana had to deal with before it crossed the dead ball line, awarding good position and a 5m scrum to the Blues.
From this situation deep in the opposition 22, the Blues were awarded a penalty for the Stormers’ front-row standing up at the scrum, and McAlister piled further pressure on the visitors by calmly stroking the ball through the posts; 16-3 Blues.
Mathewson was looking to keep the tempo and the scoreboard ticking over for his side, and a home penalty on half-way soon after was tapped by the maestro. The Stormers were finding it hard to contain him, and some cynical play from loose forward Francois Louw brought another penalty to the Blues and a stint in the sin-bin for the Springbok flanker.
McAlister was on target once again, and they took a comfortable 19-3 lead into the break as the visitors were left to ponder how they had fallen so far behind so quickly.
The second half started in similar fashion with the Blues looking to make the most of the ball they had with a good break from left wing Sherwin Stowers.
It was the Stormers that made the first breakthrough of the second period, however, with a 43rd minute penalty slotted by Duvenhage for Blues centre Jared Payne not rolling away at ruck-time.
It was certainly a lively game and a good one for the neutrals with both sides giving their all and players trying to make something happen for their team.
The dependable McAlister was one such player, and he made a searing break from his own 22 that brought play deep into Stormers territory, following a fortuitous bounce that landed the ball straight in his hands.
From this the Blues forwards took the initiative and built the phases and pressure, bringing play up to the try-line, but stout Stormers defence saw their assailants out and over into touch.
And this resolute spirit in defence was mirrored in attack soon after, as Juan de Jongh scored his side’s first try of the night in the 58th minute.
The Blues defence was seemingly coping with wave after wave of Stormers attacks consummately, but indecision on the left gave outside centre Johann Sadie the sniff of a break, which he took spotting a half gap in the line before offloading to his midfield partner de Jongh who showed ample skill and strength to step and fend flailing defenders and race under the uprights. The try was duly converted by Duvenhage and the Stormers were well and truly back in the game; 19-13 Blues.
The crowd had barely had time to draw breath before the stand-in fly-half was lining up another conversion.
Some explosive play from the Stormers backs showed they had rediscovered their cutting edge and were mercilessly manipulating some tired Blues defenders. The dangerous Sadie received the ball wide left once more and scythed through the line before beating another hapless defender and out-pacing the remainder of the Blues backs to dive over.
Duvenhage missed his attempt to put his side into the lead for the first time, but the Stormers backs were up and momentum had definitely swung their way heading into the game’s final quarter.
Burger and his men put in a colossal second-half effort
Just as they seemed to be making headway though, they presented another chance to the Blues to relieve the pressure on them and once again extend their lead. But Mr. Reliable on night, McAlister, fluffed his lines with his first miss from the tee of the game.
The Stormers were reprieved, but not for long.
A mis-placed lineout handed possession back to the Blues in opposition territory; the ball was slung quickly out wide and a good miss-pass from Brett found replacement Rene Ranger who grubbered on â€" a bobbling and bouncing ball that Gio Aplon could not deal with at all â€" leaving Blues full-back Lachie Munro to gratefully dive on for a 5-point score.
McAlister made amends for his earlier miss by converting this time, to give his side an eight-point advantage with 10 minutes to go, seemingly sealing the game; Blues leading 26-18.
But the Stormers were by no means finished, and a penalty awarded to them at a scrum gave them the chance to get back within a score of their opponents â€" a chance taken by Duvenhage who expertly curled his shot in and through the posts from out wide.
To illustrate the fast-and-loose nature of the game, the Stormers then proceeded to provide their hosts a further opportunity to sew the game up, with scrum-half Ricky Januarie penalised for being offside at a lineout; but McAlister lost his footing upon taking the kick, with his effort agonisingly shaving the left-hand post.
The match was still very much up for grabs, and with four minutes to go it was potentially defined by a kick from Blues number 8, Peter Saili that sailed out on the full and would have left his coach, Pat Lam, ripping his hair out in frustration.
The platform had been supplied for the Stormers inside the Blues half and they were applying heavy pressure, searching for the breakthrough that would at least tie the game.
With 2 minutes left on the clock, ill-discipline from Anthony Boric was penalised, and the Stormers poked the ball into the corner for a lineout, well aware that this was their last chance of getting anything from the encounter.
Captain Burger won the ball well at the back and gathered his forwards to him for an almighty shunt towards the whitewash. The Blues had initially done well to hold up their opposing forwards, but a big push got the Stormers rolling and it was Burger who emerged from the rubble to place the pill on the line.
Duvenhage held his nerve to convert, and although there was still time to play the visiting South Africans clung onto their two-point lead with Januarie gleefully kicking the ball dead and sending the rest of his team wild in celebration of an important victory.
Star Man: Juan de Jongh. Didn’t put a foot wrong all game, hard tackler, strong runner and was the catalyst for the Stormers comeback.
5-metre flop: Peter Saili. The big back-rower carried well in the game, but his huge gaffe had dire consequences on the result.
