Stormers defence denies Lions in frenzied URC clash

A try in the 78th minute by replacement lock Adre Smith, saw a 14-man Stormers side snatch a 29-24 victory against a courageous Lions team in a frenetic URC encounter in Cape Town on Saturday. 

The Stormers, after a terrific defensive stand, produced a moment of controlled attacking play by their forwards, which ended with Smith, touching down. 

The 15 minutes that preceded it saw the Lions throw themselves at the home team’s line, but the only reward was three points via a 74th minute penalty by Jordan Hendrikse. Questions will be asked about the validity of that decision given the Lions, who scored two tries in the first half, needed a bonus point to put themselves into a playoff spot. 

Perhaps their legs had just gone by that stage, given how much they’d attacked, but the Stormers’ efforts on defence are worthy of the highest praise. 

That aspect was illustrated in one sequence involving fullback Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who twice denied the Lions. In a matter of seconds Feinberg-Mngomezulu, first ankle tapped Lions wing Edwill van der Merwe, and then quickly got to his feet to deny Lions eighthman Francke Horn, a metre short of the try line. 

The Lions came storming out of the blocks, playing like a team desperate to get those four tries, putting the Stormers under pressure through robust defence and plenty of energetic work at the breakdown.

The Stormers’ attempts to accelerate the pace created plenty of frenzied passages of play. The lack of control allowed the Lions to break up many attacks with JC Pretorius a nemesis for the home team in the loose exchanges.

It was the Lions no.6 who was principally responsible for their first try by Horn, diving onto the ball after the Stormers failed to clear their lines properly. Pretorius then scored a try himself off a line-out maul, which along with three penalties by Hendrikse saw the visiting team lead by nine points at halftime. 

Stormers wing Angelo Davids, who’d already knocked out his opposite number Rabz Maxwane in the first half, was then red-carded for a head high tackle on Lions flyhalf Sanele Nohamba. A subsequent scuffle, started by Maxwane’s replacement Marius Louw, saw him also yellow carded, and it was the Stormers who made the most of the brief period when both sides were down to 14 men. 

Eduan Roos scored a crucial try to give the Stormers the lead in the 54th minute, ripping the ball off teammate Jean-Luc du Plessis, and then sprinting 25 metres to score under the posts. 

Then came the Lions’ sustained period of attack in which they camped on the Stormers try line but had neither the strength nor the creativity, to breach the defence. 

“The guys showed a lot of character and fight, but things didn’t go our way in the second half,” said Lions skipper Willem Alberts.

The bonus point for finishing within seven points, was enough to lift the Lions to 50 points and eighth position on the log, but they had a nervous wait for the outcome of other matches later on Saturday to determine their fate.

The Stormers will finish fifth and as a result will have to tackle the playoffs on the road. “We’ve got a particular DNA as the Stormers, but it is not always going to work out that way, sometimes you have to play ugly and ultimately the most important thing is to get the win,” said Stormers captain Salmaan Moerat. 

Scorers — Stormers 29 (12) : Tries — Andre-Hugo Venter, Angelo Davids, Evan Roos, Adre Smith. Conversions — Manie Libbok (3) . Penalty — Libbok 

Lions 24 (21): Tries — Francke Horn, JC Pretorius. Conversions — Jordan Hendrikse. Penalties — Hendrikse (4).