Bash’s boot saves Stormers
31 Mar 2012
JON CARDINELLI watched Peter Grant nail a 76th minute penalty to give the Stormers a 20-17 victory against a plucky Bulls outfit at Newlands.
He’s already done it once the season, stepping up to sink a touchline penalty in the dying moments of the match against the Sharks. It may not have been the most difficult kick on this occasion, but considering what it represented in the context of a crunch game and possibly the context of the Stormers’ season, Grant’s contribution shouldn’t be underestimated.
He showed terrific temperament under pressure, and so the Stormers managed to win a match that they deserved to win, but so very nearly conspired to throw away.
With regular goal-kicker Joe Pietersen off the field at that point, it was left to Grant to win this game for the Stormers. His strike was true and greeted with a deafening roar from the Newlands faithful, who recognised the significance of the penalty.
It meant the end of a valiant Bulls challenge, as they had rallied back from a 14-0 deficit to level the scores 17-17 in the dying stages. Grant’s penalty also meant the Stormers maintained their unbeaten record, and ensured that they will travel to Australasia with winning momentum.
But coach Allister Coetzee will admit that there is still much to do in the coming weeks. The ability to control a match for 80 minutes still eludes the Cape franchise, and they are yet to show the killer instinct typical of champion teams.
Their pack continues to impress with each outing, and looked to have set the platform for a comfortable win in the first half. Through their lineout dominance and relentless aggression at the point of contact, the Cape heavies manhandled their Bulls counterparts.
Their intent was apparent from the outset, as Nos 1 through 8 got in the faces of the visitors. They clattered into the collisions at terminal velocity, and yet showed more accuracy than the Bulls at the breakdown.
The pressure applied by the Stormers forwards impacted on the Bulls’ halfbacks, and so Francois Hougaard and Morné Steyn struggled to follow through with the usual kicking game. Steyn’s limitations were again highlighted as his pack battled for go-forward ball. He didn’t kick out of hand with the typical accuracy and authority, and missed two shots at goal.
At one stage the Stormers looked to be cruising to an emphatic win. They finally translated their forward dominance into a clinical try at the end of the first half, and at 14-0, held a comfortable lead. It went from bad to worse for the Bulls when their poor discipline eventually cost them as Flip van der Merwe was sin-binned early in the second stanza.
But it was here that the Bulls showed their class and experience, and where the Stormers were guilty of a lapse in concentration. The Bulls rallied strongly, striking against the run of play with a Bjorn Basson try and a further Steyn penalty. They scored 10 points while Van der Merwe was off the park, while the Stormers managed zero.
A Pietersen penalty kept the Bulls at arm’s length, but the momentum had swung in the visitor’s favour. Wynand Olivier flew in at the right-hand corner and Steyn converted from the touchline to level the scores. It was in this pressure situation where the Bulls seemed better equipped to win, having done so in many tight games over the years.
But the Stormers were not to be denied. While a lapse of concentration had cost them early in the second half, it was composure that pulled them through for a massive win. They played themselves into a good field position, and a powerful scrum earned them a kickable penalty.
Grant obliged with the goal, but it was a team effort that ensured they finished on the right side of the scoreline. They controlled possession and territory in the dying stages, and when the final whistle sounded, they duly celebrated as if they had achieved more than just another league win.
It wasn’t a complete performance by the Stormers, but they will draw confidence from another aggressive forward showing as well as the composure shown at the death. It bodes well for matches against the Reds and Crusaders in Australasia, although they will know that nothing less than a consistent showing Down Under will keep their unbeaten record intact.
240 Comments
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1 Apr 2012, 07:22 am
sheesh…!!
what a game…! the nerves were shot through like a rusty old sieve…
both teams played really well and it could have gone either way…
great for south african rugby… because I have to believe that our anzac cousins had to watch that with a dreadful sense of trepidation… it sure puts to rest the ‘toughest’ debate in terms of sheer attritional physicality…
happy the stormers kept their cool and managed to pull it off…
of course still worried that the stormers went to sleep after half time and let the bulls back in… in the stands we were all saying at half time… “please don’t go to sleep now…?”
the bulls should also be worried about their discipline which let the stormers get away to a flyer…
as far as the reffing was concerned… the fact we won does not suddenly make joubert a good or fair ref…
it was obvious that part of the bulls plan was to brawl and hopefully draw the stormers into losing focus… pity… they are much better than that…
how many times did he speak to jaundre kruger… a less accommodating ref would have carded him after so many warnings…
joubert also missed the fact the greyling pushed and/or stood up in just about every scrum… again… he has not done this the whole season, so clearly a tactic to disrupt the stormers scrum… joubert just watched him do it time and again… very disappointing… and would have had a big impact on the game if he’d been forced to scrum legally…
the only time he scrummed properly… when the bulls were obviously going for a big shove and probably looking for a pushover try… brok harris absolutely demolished him… which would’ve happened more had jobert done his job…
as well as juandre kruger played… his off the ball stuff was just shocking… him and greyling gonna get pinged big time if they try that under a fair ref…
joubert also missed countless entries from the side of the of the rucks and mauls… from both sides… but have to say the bulls did it way more often…
finally…
eben…
nuff said…
1 Apr 2012, 07:45 am
I don’t know what everyone’s fascination with Juandre Kruger is!?! The guy is average at best… Flip man, Steven Sykes is better than him. Kitshoff looks like the real deal for the Stormers and one can’t say enough about Etsebeth! I gave Spies a lot of flak last year but the guy is stepping up his game.
bokke:
Taute (being wasted on centre at this stage)
JPP
JdV
F Steyn
Habs (getting back to his best)
Goosen (please not Morne)
Hougaard (or FduP)
Spies
Schalk
Brussouw
Bekker
Etsebeth
du Plessis
du Plessis
Coenie (with beast and gurthro out)
1 Apr 2012, 07:57 am
Headline should read Joubert’s whistle saves Stormers.
Or Steyn’s boot.
But thems the breaks.
Bulls did well considering the stormers werew supposed to drll them by 20.
Time to lift our game.
1 Apr 2012, 08:00 am
@ufo(ufo)-101:
Some of those collisions in the 1st half were massive and there was only one team in it at that stage.
And it took Basson’s try against the run of play to give the Bulls a lift.
The Stormers have managed to get away with it so far this season – but the lesson to learn is that you cannot afford to sit on a lead and let the other team in. Last night was too close for comfort.
And now 2nd June at Loftus looks like a good option for this Stormer supporter.
1 Apr 2012, 08:10 am
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-104:
absolutely bud…
i can’t understand why they haven’t got some psycho guru to sort this out… it just happens so often now they can’t just chat about it and say we won’t do it again… they really need to make a plan to counter it…
as you say… we’ve got away with it so far this season… and won’t do so if it’s not addressed…
but… not too shabby for such a “mediocre team and coach” as all the experts told us before the season started…
not pretty rugby for sure…
but prettier at the top of the log against the odds than lower down…
:lol;
1 Apr 2012, 08:14 am
@ufo(ufo)-105:
And fortunately Morne had an off day with the boot. Quite generous of him.
And Bulls supporters are also quite generous – got some wine coming my way.
1 Apr 2012, 08:18 am
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-106:
yeah…
just said as much on the other thread…
he had a rare off day…
one thing is for sure though… the return match is gonna be even tougher and the bulls should win that one at home…
1 Apr 2012, 08:24 am
anyway… this beautiful cape town day calls…
well played stormers and bulls… great game…
cheers
1 Apr 2012, 08:52 am
Rare off day?? Morne gad off day agianst blues??? How rare is it really???
Craig is stil a bad ref!! We let the bulls come back and craig had big hand in it. He missed at least two 1m forward passes for that second try!!!
We must just sort out our habbit of winning games in the first halve….maybe we nedd a team that we believe needs two halves to beat!!!!!
1 Apr 2012, 08:58 am
Well done Stormers a deserved victory.
The Stormers defence was immense and that young Eben….I am speechless. Heineke can hand him the no4 Bok position from now on, there seems no need for this laaitie the settle in.
I don’t want to take anything away from the Stormers but Craig Joubert missed two major calls. The one scrum that the Bulls got pinned for near the end was actually a Bulls penalty, even the comentator said Craig got the call wrong.
And the second was when the assistant referee told him Juandre Kruger was interfered with at the lineout and he ignored it.
1 Apr 2012, 09:15 am
85.CoachPete:
1 Apr 2012, 00:35 am
@Brentie1(Brentie1)-83:
Every feed by the 9 these days are crooked so were Hougaards
At least DD was not standing on the wrong side of Hougaard when he fed his own ball I guess no one saw what I saw?
You’re missing the point. The Bulls had no option to try and swing the last scrum because the last scrum feed was so skewed that the contest was over before it began.
This happened at a crucial time.The point is Joubert warned the Bulls
for playing the man in the air and they got rightfully punished. If you warn a scrum half and have a quiet chat to him but take no further action, that in my book amounts to favouritism.Hookers and teams are punished for skewed
line out throws where the ball has to travel straight for at least 5 meters to
to ensure a fair contest.So how on earth are crooked scrum feeds allowed?
If Hougaard’s scrum feeds were skewed the same law should apply to him.
1 Apr 2012, 09:17 am
Great game, very tense and hard not to watch. I don’t think the Stormers should think that they are on top of their game as I’m yet to witness a constructed backline try
1 Apr 2012, 09:18 am
SA sevens are kak ….. time for True to go!!!
1 Apr 2012, 10:07 am
Nice one Stormers. Nice to see the underdogs come out on top.
SA rugby looking pretty healthy at the moment.
1 Apr 2012, 10:28 am
Unbeaten
1 Apr 2012, 10:30 am
dean greyling is a thug.joubert allowed him to get away with murder at times.my beloved crusaders will not tolerate his s hit next week.
1 Apr 2012, 10:34 am
@CAPECRUSADER(CAPECRUSADER)-116:
Agreed , if you follow his moves throughout the game you’l see a lot. Negative spoiling tactics. Vuilgat stuk pink kak
1 Apr 2012, 10:37 am
@CAPECRUSADER(CAPECRUSADER)-116: Crusaders to see their own pink next week.
1 Apr 2012, 10:42 am
At the end of the day it’s the score board that matters. Both sides got away with stuff but I think that Joubert had a bad game again. The Hougaard one standing to DD’s right while feeding, the last try to me seemed that there were 2 forward passes in it but to me his inability to control a very physical and at times dirty game tells me he is not up to standard.
With the youngsters that Stormers have I pity these bruising guys that like to be dirty in 2 years time – Etsebeth, Kolisi, Kitshoff, and the likes will make spies and co. KAK.
1 Apr 2012, 10:51 am
so,the stormers let sadie go becaused they had de jongh?now that’s what i call great progressive thinking by their management and not giving in to the demands of an untried and overrated player.
1 Apr 2012, 11:58 am
@ufo(ufo)-101:
I said it while watching the game with my mates, who happened to be Bulls fans, all of them: The Bulls players can’t distinguise between hard, aggresive play and dirty play. It was shocking how they tried to “intimidate” the Stormers players.
Fortunately the Stormers players did not stoop down to their level.
Oh yes….. STOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRMMEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-103:
Excuses, excuses, excuses.
The day a true pink bull supporter says they did well losing by “only” three points… well let’s just say I never thought I’d see that day.
We may not have won by 20 nor scored a 4 try bonus point but…WE WON.
That’s good enough for me.
1 Apr 2012, 12:26 pm
How the hell the did Craig Joubert miss that forward pass
1 Apr 2012, 12:58 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-122:
He missed a lot of things. Especially some off the ball stuff by the pink pansies.
He was kak both ways.
1 Apr 2012, 13:06 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-122: Just doing his job!
1 Apr 2012, 13:42 pm
i just want to say this has once again ranked as one of the worst, most inept and dismal reffing displays on show in an otherwise high calibre rugby competition.
that the rugby on display is by far the standard bearer of rugby worldwide is undoubted….but….its the standard of reffing which brings it down.
this has to be fixed.
i take nothing from the stormers, they deserved their victory and well done to them. there is no doubt that etzebeth will partner bekker at springbok lock ‘even’ with heyneke as coach. it is obviously a boon that they will be able to form their relationship together at the same union as this will allow for them to get to know each other in the way that bakkies and victor did.
1 Apr 2012, 15:41 pm
Good comment Whitney.
1 Apr 2012, 16:09 pm
@houston, we have a problem…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-125: oh the irony of it all
stormers fans were saying craig is a rubbish ref the whole week & were mocked and hours after the game it’s bulle fans vreet-ing cheese & whine
amusing
1 Apr 2012, 16:36 pm
Xhosaskid STILL complaining about the ref despite him and Morne Steyn’s right boot handing the Stronters the game on a plate!
How strong is your sense of entitlement honestly?
1 Apr 2012, 17:21 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-43: Your comment just shows what a dumbass you are. Even though the scoreboard showed a 3 point difference your filthy boys in pink were given a hiding, they were well and truly thumped, even with the ref (missing 2 forward passes on the way to the pink boys 2nd try, which you forgot to mention). Shown your pink *** by a union that has no structure, a kak coach, full of glory boys and what else. Tacitus your team really looks good in pink and the way they play rugby they should stay in pink.
1 Apr 2012, 17:34 pm
@grant10(grant100)-99: there’s a nice photo of siya kolisi handing off msteyn & gunning for wynand who looks like he was kak bang judging by his stance
1 Apr 2012, 17:42 pm
@Kea-Cat(KEA)-129: easy on Tac, imagine how he must be feeling already.
one imagines a lot of *air punching* happened in the “situation room after the final whistle.
1 Apr 2012, 17:55 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-130: The try that the Stormers scored, all what they did was attack meisiekinds channel, I didn’t see him make one tackle.
1 Apr 2012, 17:57 pm
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-126:
thank you.
@Transformation(Transformation)-127:
ag transie, kak reffing is kak reffing..and rightly, should be criticised
the irony is that joubert gave it to the opposite team the same way he gave it to the all blacks.
@Transformation(Transformation)-131:
you’re a t-bone chop…
1 Apr 2012, 18:01 pm
Geluk strmrs julle verdien julle oorwinning, my span het goed terug gekom wat n goeie advertensie vir die gahalte van spelers in SA! N PAAR SNAAKSE BESLISSINGS DEUR SKEIDSREGTER! MORNE HET WEER N AFDAG GEHAD!
1 Apr 2012, 18:10 pm
I went to the rugby club at the showgrounds in Lusaka. These guys were drinking beer, braaing chicken and watching soccer. No rugby
1 Apr 2012, 18:12 pm
Anyone with ideas where to watch rugby here in Lusaka? Maybe George Gregan and Corne Krige must come and do a road show here
1 Apr 2012, 18:13 pm
remember stormers, had just one or two of the missed kicks by morne gone over it would have been an altogether different game.
1 Apr 2012, 18:16 pm
Those near wins are soon going to dry up at the business end of the competition.
Pink Bulls were unlucky to concede penalties through their dumb hairyback forwards in the first half but they were the better team.
1 Apr 2012, 18:22 pm
@vanhunks(vanhunks)-102: You know of course,you are probably the only person who thinks Juandre Kruger is overrated? You obviously dont know a lot about forwards rugby.
1 Apr 2012, 18:25 pm
Drinking beer, braaing chicken and watching soccer.
Welcome to Africa.
Have a nice day.
1 Apr 2012, 18:28 pm
Olivier scared of Kolisi?
How transie would love that to be true.
This is the same Kolisi who doedpoesed himself on Elton Jantjes?
Fo’ sure.
1 Apr 2012, 18:30 pm
@wp_boytjie(wp_boytjie)-117: Wow,what a really classy and mature comment. Your fellow Stormers supporters must be really impressed with your insight. But still,well done for a 3 point win at Newlands with a dubious penalty 3 minutes before the end of the game.
1 Apr 2012, 18:39 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-140: Can you imagine me asking them to switch to rugby. Even the James Dalton (black version) lookalike told me it would be difficult to do haha
1 Apr 2012, 18:49 pm
@Shark(Predawn)-138: The Bulls were the better team? Bwahahahahahahahaha. Get rid of those grapes boet as they must leave a bitter taste. Bulls had a purple patch for about 15min in the first quarter of the second half. Other than that they weren’t going anywhere. Shame.
1 Apr 2012, 18:53 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-128: The Bulls were lucky to have only one player in the bin yesterday. Two forward passes in one backline movement – geez Joubert was soooooo biased!
1 Apr 2012, 18:54 pm
@Loftus(Loftus)-142:
Joubert missed some things both ways Most will say penalty at end was correct
Joubert missed a huge offsides at scrum where Hougaard was standing next to Vermeulen in the put in and nearly resulted in a try to bulls had Hougaard not knocked on
1 Apr 2012, 18:55 pm
there was a survey done 4 or 5 years ago of the most knowledgable rugby supporters in SA …. this was the result :
1. Cape Town
2. Pretoria
3. Bloemfontein
4. PE
5. JHB
6. Mpumalanga
7. George
8. KZN
Shark @ 138 just confirmed that ….. but really, look at the post of all sharks supporters…its mostly guys who never played rugby …. with their ginger spots and always blames the ref ….
1 Apr 2012, 18:58 pm
Joubert missed 2 forward passes in WO’s try ….
1 Apr 2012, 18:59 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-122: Are you crazy! Joubert killed the Bulls with his whistle yesterday according to the Pinkie supporters! Kruger and Greyling were farling lucky to get away with what they did yesterday!
1 Apr 2012, 19:00 pm
@grant10(grant100)-148:
Assistant ref missed it not Joubert
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