The Western Stormers scored a fifth win in six matches when they beat the Wellington Hurricanes 20-12 to move into fourth spot in the Super 14 on Saturday.
While both teams scored two tries, Stormers flyhalf Peter Grant enjoyed more success with the boot and that ultimately separated the teams at the end. It was also a good defensive effort by the home side, who did not give the Hurricanes a chance in the first 40 minutes, but they did go to sleep somewhat after the break after charging into a 20-0 lead after 55 minutes.
“We played well in the first half, but started defending [the lead] after the break and that put us under a lot of pressure,” Stormers captain Jean de Villiers said.
The victory leaves the Stormers in fourth spot with 27 points, just four behind third-placed New South Wales Waratahs, while the Hurricanes are sixth with 26 points. In a game that had few try-scoring opportunities, it took all of 24 minutes before the score-keepers were troubled when the hosts No. 10 Grant slotted a penalty after the Hurricanes’ So’oialo had been caught stomping on a Stormers player by referee James Leckie.
But there were precious few opportunities for either side for the rest of the first period, but just when the fans were thinking they would only have Grant’s three-pointer to talk about at the interval, the Stormers struck a telling blow moments before the break.
After a number of minutes of the home team hammering away at the Hurricanes’ tryline, without success, big lock Andries Bekker finally found a way through the defenses after earlier winning the ball in the lineout.
Grant’s conversion made it 10-0 to the Stormers and a deserved lead at the break.
While Grant added a further three points straight after the restart, it was the Hurricanes who finally found their rhythm and asked plenty of the hosts defense.
It held firm and then somewhat against the run of play, the Stormers scored a great try through hooker Schalk Brits, after excellent play by winger Sireli Naqelevuki and No. 8 Luke Watson.
Grant’s conversion made it 20-0 to the Stormers.
Any thoughts of the game being over as a contest though quickly evaporated as the Hurricanes struck twice in eight minutes to close the gap to just eight points.
First, Hosea Gear dived over in the right corner after breaking through the tackle of Conrad Jantjes and then Conrad Smith finished off after a sustained period of pressure from the New Zealanders. Jimmy Gopperth converted only one of those tries and also missed a penalty in between which, had both been successful, would have left the visitors just three points away from leveling the game.
While both outfits pushed for further tries in the latter stages of the contest, neither added to their score, ensuring a fifth win in six matches for the Stormers.
BULLS 47, HIGHLANDERS 17
AFP, PRETORIA
Northern Bulls ended a five-match Super 14 losing streak on Saturday with a 47-17 victory over the woeful Otago Highlanders at Loftus Versfeld.
The South African triumph over unusually weak New Zealand opposition came after a week in which the Bulls backed under-fire coach Frans Ludeke and blamed experimental law variations for a dismal run, without offering reasons.
Having conceding 50 points in a dire home showing against the Wellington Hurricanes last weekend, a Bulls team lacking injured captain and scrum-half Fourie du Preez were desperate to improve against their fellow strugglers.
Constant pressure, good ball retention, commitment and creative running led to three first half tries for the home team and a 28-3 halftime advantage.
Fullback Zane Kirchner, a newcomer from the team that pipped fellow South Africans Coastal Sharks in the final last year, played a key role by scoring two tries and creating another for wing Akona Ndungane. A further Bulls try six minutes into the second half by center J.P. Nel, with Kirchner again featuring prominently, stretched the Bulls advantage to 32 points.
However, instead of pressing home their superiority, the South Africans slipped back into the sloppy habits.
Converted tries by forwards Chris King and Tom Donnelly left the Bulls 35-17 ahead approaching the closing stages, before replacement forward Pedrie Wannenburg and Ndungane dotted down in a lively finish by the Bulls.
Fly-half James Wilson kicked both conversions for the Highlanders and also supplied their sole first half points from a penalty.
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