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, 19:02 pm
it was a good game to win… and really proud of the guys for winning it in the end…
but really could’ve gone either way… so cool to enjoy it for what it was and move on…
tourney’s only a third in… plenty plus to go…
things can change quickly and some really tough matches coming up…
1 Apr 2012, 19:06 pm
pee wee, i agree, BUT!!!! Habana made big kak when he went and pushed Greyling, if that was @ loftus, Habana would’ve had a yellow card and he wouldn’t be alive today!
1 Apr 2012, 19:11 pm
@grant10(grant100)-152:
At least Habana stood up to him win or lose
And its that Paul Kruger look a like beard that makes him look tough
1 Apr 2012, 19:14 pm
haha no Habana looked like he was facing the devil …. the always shat his pants! lgend stuff …. Greyling even had a smile …. he know habana’s funeral was very close
1 Apr 2012, 19:24 pm
Greyling wasn’t smiling everytime he had to pack down to scrum or take the ball up. He got steamrolled at times.
1 Apr 2012, 19:26 pm
sometimes winning the fight is more important! Habana will think twice about playing @ loftus …. maybe fake a injury? i would if i were him!
1 Apr 2012, 19:27 pm
@Pee Wee(Pee Wee)-155:
yeah yeah Very cranky at scrum time
Habana challenge was only time he smiled cause he thought he was going to get his next meal
1 Apr 2012, 19:27 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-141: they say a picture is worth a thousand words…so your feeble attempts at making light of wynand’s dilemma are admirable but inevitably futile.
1 Apr 2012, 19:30 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-158:
WOs try was well taken Grant stood off in defense allowing the half gap
1 Apr 2012, 19:32 pm
look WO killed JDJ an the WP backline … was it not for Wynand, it would’ve been ugky …. maybe 33 – 0 to the Stormers …
1 Apr 2012, 20:08 pm
What’s his dilemma transie?
That he was scared?
People see what they want to see.
Only in your twisted mind.
You’re full of it and you know it.
1 Apr 2012, 20:24 pm
@grant10(grant100)-160: bwahahaha hey man! go buy the sunday times & jdj lus to moer meisiekind as jean clings on for dear life.
1 Apr 2012, 20:27 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-161: truth hurts…
1 Apr 2012, 20:37 pm
what I wanna know is where are all the grootbek capebull and sharkbull supporters who all said bar none that the breesies were just a show pony team of easy beats?
where is keohane who was soooo convince the Bulletjie pinkblou masjien was sommer gonner steamroll all over Newlands and that Stormers didn’t stand a chance…
If it were not for the lucky break where De Villiers and De Jongh cleaned out the Pienk defense and were heading for the try line, when a fortuitous pop pass landed in Hougaards unbelieving mitts instead of in Duvenhage’s grasp, and the fly hack kick ahead resulted in a turnaround try against the run of play, then Bulls were going to be systematically whitewashed this game…
Bulls got extremely lucky to get that close.. in truth Stormers were streaks ahead of them in every facet of play.. Stormers should have wiped them with a doodpoes of note.. but the momentum swung against the flow when Bulls got lucky enough through no build up of their own..
In short Stormers fckd them up where it counted and where ALL the pundits were so convinced not too long ago that Stormers were not nearly in the same league to take on this invincible Pienk frilly laced masjien..
So where all these breekerige grootbek pienk fartass pundits now..??
1 Apr 2012, 20:37 pm
don’t bother grant100 i know u a cheapskate
http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/2012/04/01/stormers-stun-pink-bulls
1 Apr 2012, 20:37 pm
What truth?
You can’t even see his face?
Yet he is bang?
I believe there is a job opening for a new ANCYL spokesperson.
You would fit the bill.
Perfectly.
1 Apr 2012, 20:41 pm
JdJ will fck party boy WO in his glory vrek and party boy WO with his permed lady locks will sommer disappear quick out the action.. JdJ broke through Bulletjies inside channel defenses with ease yesterday, neither Morne nor Lady bird WO could handle him…, JdJ cleaned up Bulletjies midfield not once but at least 4 times .. only last pass or last bounce that robbed him of finishing it off.
1 Apr 2012, 20:46 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-166: it’s called body language, keep up.
1 Apr 2012, 20:48 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-167: where were wynand & sadie when jdj was carving their team up the middle of the park?
1 Apr 2012, 21:05 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-164:i see keo already promising the stormers a snotklap on the return leg @ loftus
1 Apr 2012, 21:09 pm
transformation … why do u never give white guys credit you racist maaifoedie?
1 Apr 2012, 21:11 pm
Oh how memories are so short under the dream bubble of refugee less Cape Town….
**** a hoop over a win over the Pienk Ballas, where Craig Joubert nearly outdid himself, fools tend to forget how the Sharks fcked them up so holy in every facet of the game other than the scoreboard…
Fools also tend to forget how these convenient little penalties in the last few minutes have saved them time and time again at Newlands…
Fools forget too that Stormers have played and won only at home, other than their very fortunate win at the Lions…
But let them forget because its going to be a laugh a minute come the business end of the comp which only happens in July after the 4N…
Until then will they be saved by the complimentary 2 penalties at the end of each and every game from hereon in….
Simply put…Nope
I suspect we are on the verge of seeing one of the biggest collapses of a fan blown bubble of a teams success in the history of Super Rugby…
Meanwhile the Sharkies are nicely poised in the top half of the Table and could quite conceivably return to SA with 3 out of 4 tour wins, unlucky to lose the first match…
Luvvingit!!!
1 Apr 2012, 21:12 pm
WO was standing out on the WING.. he was too bang to handle JdJ who owned him all night long… WO scored his little heroic cameo try out on the f’ng WING because that was the only place he could function with no JdJ in his face to fck him up..
1 Apr 2012, 21:21 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-172: come come fckwit you were one of the sharkievarkie glory singers who were absolutely convinced Stormers were gonna finish way down the ladder and that it was Sharkievarkie fckng Bullarselickingcn’ts like you who think its Bully Breker territory same as Keohane who like a true little coward creep sells out to the opposition…
Stormers absolutely fck’d Bully brekers vrek yesterday.. only thing that swung it back to a close affair was the runaway hack ahead try that but for a missed pop pass should not have happened…
Stormers were TOO strong for Bully brekers in every facet.. from kick off and through the forward momentum… and even to the end where Bulls were outright manhandled and set back on their overrated tiekie..
Bully brekers were brought back into the game via a clear break against run of play .. NOT as a result of their won build up… thereafter it became an arm wrestle but till that point was only one team in the contest…
Same against Sharks.. and if Stormers keep the team as is intact we fck Sharks up a 4th time on the trot without raising a sweat…
Where all the f’ng Bullshark cntarse supporters who wouldn’t give Stormers half a hope in hell.. where they singing their odes to their teams supremacy now where Stormers are the ONLY team thus far without a loss.. ?? Brumbies should have fck’d Sharks up.. Sharks got lucky same as Bulls did with their breakaway against run of play try..
1 Apr 2012, 21:29 pm
Guys.
The game’s over,
The players left it on the field.
Let’s do the same.
HG you are a real w@nker sometimes.
No one buys your “i’m in it for the argument” bullshit
Stupid is as stupid does Forest.
Or in your case posts.
1 Apr 2012, 21:37 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-174: I shityounot, wait and see the big collapse coming…. Stormers having been living on referee grace and favour now for 5 games on the trot… Yes there have been some players in the Stormers who are playing themselves straight into the Bok side like Etsebeth, Kolisi, but there is more than a whiff of fortune favoured so far…
When the fortune runs out and the 50/50 calls dont go the way of the Stormers then we see and I will take it all on the chin for being wrong.
But this time I am not.
1 Apr 2012, 21:37 pm
Fact of the matter is in spite of all the singalong song and dance about brokeback bresies without a f’ng hope in hell.. Stormers are the ONLY team with a clean sheet and possibly the team with the strongest most powerful pack in the competition.. plus a good balance between forwards and backs … half backs functioning nicely.. loose forwards performing in synergy together, entire pack together with backs performing as a collective TEAM… as LONG as the overrated captain don’t come back and fck that cohesive scenario all the way back down the drain again…
1 Apr 2012, 21:40 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-175: Checkmate fckface
1 Apr 2012, 21:43 pm
Body language!
LMFAO Floyd.
1 Apr 2012, 21:44 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-179: Hehe
1 Apr 2012, 21:48 pm
@grant10(grant100)-171: is eben etzebeth black?
what about willie le roux, johan goosen?
don’t be a domdoos!
1 Apr 2012, 21:49 pm
I won’t deny Stormers got couple lucky breaks from ref’s couple times .. its happened for Bulls in heaps in recent years where some their home wins were as a result of some totally biased home town reffing shenanigans..
BUT fact remains.. in spite of all the Bullshark f’ng anti Breesie propaganda and all the singalong Stormers are a powder puff bunch of brokeback easy beats.. we have fck’d you all UP… Bulls… Sharks.. Blues… Hurricanes … Lions
They ALL said just wait for the Bulls .. the mighty invincible Pienk F’ng Masjien was gonna make Stormpies into bully beef patties for after dinner treats… well it was exactly the reverse..
Bulletjies brought their big beef brekers like Greyling and Kruger and Spies stood off back in the distance while the rough and tumble merchants got the nuts and bolts of the procedure sorted in the coal room..
And the net result is Vermeulen, Elstadt, Kolisi and Etsebeth had their merry way with Greyling, Kruger, Stander and Potgieter.. .. like usual Spies was AWOL when it came to showdown time.. and Stormers tough enforcers fck’d the pienk pretenders at their own merciless game… touche .. the new Enforcer team has ARRIVED.. and they ain’t dressed in frilly laced pienk panties.. no sirree..
1 Apr 2012, 21:57 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-182: Yeah, you right about the Bulls – no plan B if they are matched or fckedup up front… But the Sharks have known that and the key fact that you keep possession against the Bulls for years… The reason they lost is that they did silly chippies and also did not organise for the big bombs at the back 3 otherwise the Bulls would be one less win under the belt…
Sharks did everything right against the Stormers except win against them or the ref… Simple.
I am beginning to think the Pink Ballas are flattering to deceive too…
For me the big surprise in the making are possibly going to be the Cheetahs, injury fortune permitting…
1 Apr 2012, 22:12 pm
Fuckadilly what happened to your 20 point drubbing?
Senile old ****.
Stick to giving young girls lifts.
1 Apr 2012, 22:14 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-179: why do u think siya is running towards meisiekind’s weak shoulder? eish sawufa sifundisa
1 Apr 2012, 22:15 pm
Pienk suits Bulls it brings out the true perspective of their real back at the ranch underbelly hues… and it ain’t blue.. its pienk.. at last they found the color that actually suits their make up .. because fck them up when they cannot flatten you in the steamroller tradition.. and they go balls to the wall into belly flop mode.. just as it happened to Morne Steyn twice now where Bulls didn’t have carte blanche off the front foot…
Cheetahs are a revelation to see how a team so ravaged by mercenary take over of their talented players by the Sharkievarkie f’ng money grabbing moguls they still produce a team from the dregs of their left over’s and produce a style of running rugby that should be the hall mark of SA rugby.. not the dumb kick chase force and subdue antics of the overrated Bulls.. but the absolute scintillating desire to make some little bitty hay while the sun shines while you got some bit of ball in your mitts…
Goosen has made that team into a contentious competitor and the rest like Daniller and the new found talents in wings like Le Roux with Ebersohn and Strauss in midfield and a die hard approach up front and Cheetahs will put some bodies on the line once back in Blomfontein..
Though they simply don’t have the depth that the 3 major sides Bulls, Sharks and Stormers possess.. which all told will count against them in the crunch arena nearer to the death end of the competition.
If they could hold on to their players like the Dup bro’s and Viljoen and Pretorius and the rest.. Cheetahs would be a powerhouse of SA rugby without a doubt.
1 Apr 2012, 22:21 pm
Weak shoulder?
With his weak cranium?
Its certainly thinner than yours.
1 Apr 2012, 22:21 pm
gunthercunt your little pienkbabybulls got systematically fckd up.. 14-0 and counting till the ball popped into the wrong pair of hands….
when did I say 20 point drubbing huh.. I said we fck you UP which is what we did.. little cntface twat… what did YOU all say all 319 of you bully f’ng pienkiestinky ball brekers … you said Stormers didn’t stand a hope in HELL did you NOT !!
Current Poll
Who will win the big north-south clash at Newlands on Saturday?
Bulls
319
Stormers
251
Total Votes: 570
little dubious fckadilly doos…
1 Apr 2012, 22:22 pm
elstadt saw flames though the one time he tried busting it up & met bulle breker tough hide, he ended up knocking the ball on.
1 Apr 2012, 22:26 pm
Johan Sadie, Johan Sadie, Johan Sadie???? Where did I hear that name? Oh yes, the snotkop who garded himself as being better than either one of JdV, Juan de Jongh and Jaque Fourie. Did you see the shock in his face when JdJ unceremoniously (gently) pushed him on his backside. Hopefully the guy who recruited him for the Bulls and is now the Springbok coach noted it.
1 Apr 2012, 22:26 pm
Elstadt ran straight into the biggest behemoth on the field.. he chose to try steamroller Greyling which simply didn’t work.. should have rather veered slightly left and not straight for Greylings potbelly .. nevertheless overall it came down to Stormers 1 — Bully Brekers – Nil .. and that down to the last inch of the issue is what succinctly and fundamentally counts…
1 Apr 2012, 22:28 pm
Yup Johann Sadie and his greedy agent most definitely overrated his value.. and so did the Bully Breker management team…
Stormers got the better shake down out of the deal.. we get a primed and bully beefed up Van den Heever and we didn’t even have to put any flesh on dem bones…
1 Apr 2012, 22:29 pm
When did I say ther bulls would win fuckadilly you mad old twatface?
The stormers were favorites.
And yet you scraped through by the skin of your useless old todger.
You have passed your sell by date you dirty old ******.
1 Apr 2012, 22:32 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-187: yes, weak shoulder…is all this rock science to you?
1 Apr 2012, 22:34 pm
319 Bully Breker two faced sell out arsewipes said bully Brekers would win.. so who EXACTLY were the FAVORITES ??
and this little sellout two face guntercn’tarse said the same.. he backed his pienkie stinky naaimasjien brekers against his own home town.. shows what type two face little cn’ts we have here parading as capetonians…
A Bull supporting Capetonian is worse in my mind to a Crusader supporting Capetonian.. at least the Crusader supporting Capetonian has a valid reason to.. the Bulls supporting Capetonian does not…
1 Apr 2012, 22:37 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-192: how can you expect sadie to flourish when the man who had a plan for him is busy @ saru offices decorating his new office & making new business cards?
the bonehead ludekak is clueless as to what meyer intended for sadie, now sadie finds himself chasing kicks as msteyn skops alles.
1 Apr 2012, 22:39 pm
How could you tell he was scared Floyd?
Because he was “aiming at his weak shoulder”?
Are you really that dom?
Even for an ANCYL spokesman that’s pushing it.
Your skull on Kolisis’s body.
I think we have found the perfect rugby player.
Rock science indeed.
Boff.
1 Apr 2012, 22:44 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-197: you are clearly dumbfounded
where did i say he was “leading with his weak shoulder”? does that even make any sense?
why do i bother with you?
ok gunther let’s talk cars, something maybe you know a little about
1 Apr 2012, 22:47 pm
Spesaking of boneheads I’ll leave Floyd with his oversized cranium firmly lodged up fuckadoodledoo’s tofu tail pipe.
Domb en domberer.
The embraboer twins.
1 Apr 2012, 22:54 pm
Who said leading?
You said Kolisi was running at his weak shoulder.
And that made him scared.
You know your body language all right Floyd.
Must be all those Mens Health magazines you read.
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