Stormers down turgid Tahs
19 May 2012
JON CARDINELLI reports on a comfortable if not convincing 19-13 win for the Stormers against an uninspired and fallible Waratahs mob.
If we know anything about the Stormers, it’s that they win consistently without winning by large margins. The final scoreline on Saturday was again in the Stormers’ favour, and again it wasn’t a fair reflection of the Cape side’s dominance of proceedings.
Nor did it tell the story of an insipid and at times rudderless Waratahs display. The visitors came into this match with the aim to pressure the Stormers through an accurate tactical kicking game, but the ploy was largely overdone. Their kick chase was poor and their physicality at the collisions was largely inferior to that of the Stormers.
The way the first half developed, some optimistic Stormers fans may have hoped that the game wouldn’t pan out as many had predicted. The manner in which the Stormers executed in the first 40 minutes was impressive, and despite earlier expectations of a dour, forward-oriented contest in wet conditions, the Stormers were two tries up before the break.
Their first venture into the Waratahs’ 22 yielded the desired result. A clean take at the lineout provided the backline with clean ball, and Dewaldt Duvenage found Gio Aplon with a great inside ball. The next phase saw the Waratahs defence stretched, as some quick hands by Peter Grant and Jean de Villiers created the space for Joe Pietersen to score.
Try No 2 was again the product of a fine forward platform. The Stormers won the set piece and hammered away at the Waratahs from close range, opening up a blindside on the right. The ball was moved quickly through the hands again, and this time it was Eben Etzebeth, who also did more than his fair share in the tight, who contributed with a deft final pass to Tiaan Liebenberg.
The Stormers continued to apply the pressure and collected a three-pointer right before the half-time buzzer. If this was any other team, you would have expected them to ram the advantage home. Despite the conditions, they should have kept their foot on the pedal and collected two more tries (at least) via a superior forward effort.
But almost on cue, the Stormers lapsed right after the break. The Waratahs exposed some slack defending in midfield and Rob Horne eventually finished in the right-hand corner. A conversion and a further penalty by scrumhalf Brendan McKibbin brought the score to 16-13, and almost unbelievably, the Waratahs were back in the game.
The Waratahs were guilty of indiscipline as well as a lack of physicality at the collisions and breakdown. It impacted on their continuity, and their overriding tendency to kick, aimlessly and with little hope of regaining possession, cost them dearly.
They were a beaten side in the first half, and they failed to take the opportunity that was presented to them early in the second stanza. Apart from their wayward kicking, they conceded possession on several occasions when they were within sight of the Stormers’ tryline. Their attack in 2012 hasn’t been great, and this performance at Newlands should be viewed as a sign of regression rather than progression.
The Stormers eventually won this encounter by six points, but will feel disappointed that they did not win by more. Before this game they would have taken any kind of win against a traditionally physical team like the Waratahs, but given the way the Stormers dominated early in the piece, it was unforgivable that they once again failed to build on a good start.
What Allister Coetzee and co will be pleased about is that the result has propelled them to the top of the overall log. With the Bulls losing to the Highlanders in Dunedin and the Stormers beating the Waratahs, the Cape side has finished the round in pole position.
656 Comments
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21 May 2012, 00:42 am
You can believe what you want rangerboy.I am still waiting for your email address bud.
21 May 2012, 00:43 am
end of the page.. guess its end of the discussion and end of the saga..
and less than nothing was acquired or realized or arrived at or learned…
21 May 2012, 00:48 am
@skopskiet(skopskiet)-652: You are absolutely right.The only thing i learned tonight is that Cab is related to the apes of this world .time to hit the sack.cheers.
21 May 2012, 01:56 am
When Craig Joubert joined forces with Christie du Preez Shaun Veldsman
From the Sidney Herald:
“Foley questioned a sideline blunder in the first half that put two balls on the field, one of which momentarily confused halfback Brendan McKibbin, in the lead-up to a Stormers try.
”Whether or not it would have had any impact on what happened, I think anything like that in that crucial part of the field needs to be ruled on,” he said.
”I thought there were a couple of decisions in that part of the field which left me scratching my head.” ”
LOL
21 May 2012, 07:51 am
Oh dear.
Definitely the poodlefucker.
Pricking minds indeed.
Although the “Chetchen” rebel hunting is a new angle.
22 May 2012, 04:31 am
@skopskiet(skopskiet)-284: Its funny how Skop was all over Lambie when he first popped onto the scene in the hope that the Stormers would pick him up at some stage but ever since Sharks supporters have been going dilly over him, suddenly he is seen as part of the problem and part of the Fat Boys Club.
Skop is as fickle as they come and his opinions change like wind depending on who he is currently beefing with at the time. Personally I don’t see much wrong with Lambie’s game. He has breathed life into the Sharks attacking game and I’m sure there is more than a little correlation between the sudden improvement in the amount of tries scored by the Sharks this year compared to recent performances. Sharks problem lies with poor coaching and imbalance in the forward pack and constant shuffling around. No team can win a match if they’re not getting go-forward ball. With the Beast back and Plum finally seeing sense and including Botes in the loose trio and Daniel at 8 we’re finally beginning to see balance. Botes is pretty underrated in my book and he made Brussouw his b*tch on a few occasions last week.
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