Sloppy Stormers deny Cheetahs
12 May 2012
JON CARDINELLI watched the Stormers win 16-14 at Newlands by virtue of a commanding first-half performance.
The Stormers second-half effort was nothing short of shambolic. After leading 16-0 after 40 minutes, after physically dominating the Cheetahs to an overwhelming degree, they conspired to concede the advantage and very nearly the result.
The platform was there for the four-try bonus point they had been searching for all season. Their lineout was functioning beautifully, as was their rolling maul.
Their physicality at the collisions and scrums was putting the Cheetahs on the back foot, and flyhalf Peter Grant was knocking penalties over from all angles.
The confidence with ball-in-hand was apparent, as Jean de Villiers turned down a kickable penalty in the 23rd minute and instructed Joe Pietersen to boot the ball to touch. The Stormers then powered though the phases with Eben Etzebeth bursting through from close range for the game’s first try.
But instead of capitalising on a commanding lead, the Stormers allowed the Cheetahs to fight their way back. Literally.
The visitors produced a more physical effort in the second stanza, and managed to niggle and unsettle the Stormers forwards. While it was the Cheetahs who were guilty of poor discipline in the first 40, the Stormers were the sloppier of the two teams in the second.
Hennie Daniller crashed over in the left-hand corner after 48 minutes, and a difficult conversion by reserve flyhalf Riaan Smit brought the score to 16-7.
Starting No 10 Sias Ebersohn had struggled in the first half, and Smit seemed to play with more confidence and lend the visitors more direction in the later stages of the game.
The game was stopped in the 54th minute when both teams were involved in a full-scale brawl. Referee Steve Walsh put the entire incident on a white card, and also sent Stormers flank Rynhardt Elstadt to the bin for his role in the scuffle.
But now it was the Cheetahs’ turn to waste a great opportunity. They turned down a shot at goal, and then conceded possession several phases later. It was here that the Stormers’ characteristic defence came into play and denied the Cheetahs what could have been a game-changing score.
Willie le Roux snatched an intercept try in the 67th minute, and another fantastic conversion by Smit reduced the deficit to two points. It set up a dramatic final 13 minutes, and it was here that the Stormers struggled to escape from their own half, a range of poor tactical kicks allowing the Cheetahs to send wave after wave after attack into Stormers territory.
Fortunately for the hosts, the Cheetahs panicked with ball in hand, forcing the pass or taking the wrong option and eventually conceding possession.
The Stormers finally managed to get some territory, and while they battled to control the ball, they remained in the opposition half for the last five minutes of the game.
It will go down as another win for the Stormers, but they will know that they blew a golden opportunity to bank the four-try bonus.
The manner in which they smashed the Cheetahs up front in the first half and bossed territory and possession was encouraging. If they had maintained their concentration for the entire second stanza, they would have racked up four tries quite comfortably.
Because of their inconsistency, they will remain in second place in the South African conference and fourth on the overall log for another week yet.
255 Comments
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13 May 2012, 19:33 pm
@optiplay(optiplay)-250:
cool man… we do…
i do try to stick to the facts… which is why i also like to use stats… to get away from the emotional debate which just goes round and round… sure stats only tell “so much” of the story… and, if possible, should be used in context, which is not always the case…
i wish i could claim to be good at stats… but no i’m not… i use rugbystats (mainly)… and also look at verusco…
both thanks to bryce_in_aus for telling me about them…
so not sure about the injury then and now stats you mention… but just guessing don’t think there’ll be much difference… when you consider the numbers of people who play rugby every weekend… the neck injuries are not bad statistically… although devastating for the players concerned…
but totally agree with you about a simpler law… think they should go through the law book and simplify whatever needs to be…
may i ask what level you played, coached and reffed at… always respect the people who do so… and certainly take their opinions a lot more seriously… no prob if you’d rather not say…
13 May 2012, 20:32 pm
@ufo(ufo)-251: Mostly first devision and university level.Not good enough to have made it to provincials.But that was longgg ago.You know the saying”the older we get the better we were”.I am an old guy but never lost the love for the game.Like most of your posts. Keep it up .
By the way, get a new 9, and you will win the competition .Awesome young talent at the Stormers.Etsebeth,Elstadt,Kolisi ,Kitta to name a few.I love to see a new young player making it.
Cheers for now.
13 May 2012, 21:04 pm
@optiplay(optiplay)-252:
kudos to you… that’s way more than most of us on this site…
the love of rugby is what’s important… but people like yourself who have had to put it into practice as far as coaching and reffing are concerned tend to be a lot more realistic, pragmatic and insightful in your comments…
yeah… feelings on duvenage are split… divan certainly had some insightful comments… hope duvenage works on those points…
but good or bad… he’s there unless something dramatic happens, so will back the guy 100%… i’d describe him as solid though unspectacular… although he has had some very good games… especially last year when he had to play flyhalf…
so i like the guy and respect the player… but don’t think he’ll make it at international level… but would be very happy for him to prove me wrong…
13 May 2012, 21:05 pm
cheers till next time…
14 May 2012, 09:16 am
I love how uninformative this article is, maybe we were watching two different games but if the Cheetahs had a better flyhalf in the first half they would have won this game with a bonus point and not to mention the three kickable penalties Adriaan opted not to take because of Sias’ poor kicking which of course the guys at Keo, seeing they are all stormer supporters, failed to mention and the so-called next “Os” was given a scrumming lesson by WP Nel, maybe he should be called the next “Brok Harris” seeing that Brok was also taken to school by Coenie. Wonder what Keo is going to say when the Cheetahs beat the stormers in Bloem with a comfortable margin.
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