Stormers hooker Deon Fourie and center Jaque Fourie scored two tries apiece as last year’s finalists beat Australia’s Western Force 51-16 in their Super rugby match on Saturday.
The Stormers, who have won five from five, scored three tries in a commanding first-half display and followed it up with 24 unanswered points in the second period to remain the only unbeaten side in the southern hemisphere competition.
Flyhalf Peter Grant, who kicked six penalties in last week’s away win over the champion Bulls, produced a faultless display with 21 points through six conversions and three penalties.
Photo: EPA
“Today we took a massive step in the right direction,” Stormers captain Jean de Villiers said. “There’s a bit of relief after the pressure on us not scoring tries, but it’s a very long season and it’s just about keeping our feet on the ground.”
The home side, who had to rely on Grant’s boot for their wins after managing only one try in their previous three encounters, grabbed six touchdowns against the outclassed visitors as their classy backs finally clicked into gear.
Fourie celebrated his return from injury in style when he dived in at the corner in the second minute, with Grant nailing the acute-angled conversion.
The mobile Deon Fourie, a former Springbok Sevens player, dotted down from a driving maul in the 22nd minute to give his team a 14-3 lead, but it was his second, less than a minute into the second half, that raised the biggest cheer of the afternoon.
Fourie received the ball on the halfway line before outpacing two would-be tacklers and chipping over the cover defense for a memorable corner-flag score.
De Villiers had earlier barged over for the Stormers’ third try as the disjointed Force looked to flyhalf James O’Connor to keep them in the game.
O’Connor scored all his team’s points, through a try, a conversion and three penalties, as the Australians battled to come to terms with the Stormers’ high-tempo attack.
O’Connor’s try in the 25th minute was, like Fourie’s, a superb piece of individual play in which he ghosted through a gap before sidestepping winger Bryan Habana.
Such was the Force’s lack of penetration after the break that they could make no inroads into the Stormers’ defense even with flanker Francois Louw sin-binned midway through the second period.
They could also not capitalize on a high penalty count in their favor, with the backs often running laterally and the forwards being unable to provide quick ball for O’Connor to utilize effectively.
With Louw restored to the ranks, the Stormers finished on a high with a sixth try to lock and man of the match Andries Bekker, who made full use of his 2.08m frame to stretch across the line.
“We made far too many mistakes back to back,” Force captain Nathan Sharpe said. “It was by far our worst performance of the year.”
BULLS 30, LIONS 23
AP, PRETORIA
The Bulls held off a late Lions charge to win 30-23 in the Super 15 on Saturday and end their recent home slump.
The defending champion Bulls outscored the Lions three tries to two, but had to ride late scores from the visitors, before sealing a first win in three games at Loftus Versfeld.
Hooker Gary Botha had thought he’d ended the Lions’ resistance with his 62nd-minute try, but winger Deon van Rensburg took a quick tap to sneak in to close the gap to 23-16 with six minutes left.
Bjorn Basson replied immediately for the Bulls, but captain Franco van der Merwe charged over with three minutes to go to once again put the Lions within seven points and set up a frantic finish.
The Bulls clung on to end a run of two successive losses at home, but were again unconvincing, this time against the competition’s bottom team, who have won just one game in their last 20 Super rugby fixtures.
Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn kicked six from six attempts at goal in a return to form after an off-day in last weekend’s loss to the Stormers, but the three-time Super champions couldn’t close out victory until the final moments.
“Every game in the Super 15 is tough,” Bulls scrumhalf Fourie du Preez said. “And we had to show great character and the guys pulled it through.”
Botha drove over from close range after wave upon wave of Bulls forward surges battered the Lions defense into submission. Steyn’s conversion seemingly put the home team out of reach at 23-9.
However, van Rensburg ducked under the tackles of forwards Victor Matfield and Danie Rossouw to score in the 74th minute and start a hectic six-minute spell.
The Bulls turned over possession straight from the kickoff and managed to give Basson just enough space to squeeze over in the right corner.
The Lions then threw caution to the wind, running the ball from every opportunity and the ball was passed through countless pairs of hands before fullback Michael Killian found lock Van der Merwe steaming through on the inside to go over next to the posts.
The Bulls finally restored sanity, eating up time with a rolling maul to within 10m of the Lions line. The hooter sounded and -captain -Matfield hacked the ball into touch.
Flanker Dewald Potgieter dived over for the Bulls’ first try in the 25th minute, but the left boot of Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies kept the Super 15 strugglers in touch in a fast-paced, error-strewn and bruising encounter.
Jantjies launched the first of his two long-range penalties in the first half for the lead, before du Preez sent a flat pass to an onrushing Potgieter to dive over.
Steyn added the conversion and his first penalty soon after, only for opposite number Jantjies to reply just before halftime with a shot from inside his own half.
Steyn continued with a testing kick of his own from 50m five minutes into the second half as the two-time defending champions threatened to finally wrestle control of the match at 13-6.
However, the Bulls slipped up straight away when prop Dean Greyling was penalized for a high tackle and Jantjies slotted his third penalty — this time from right in front — to keep the battling Lions in touching distance.
The Bulls continued to apply pressure, though, and went clear with Steyn’s third successful penalty in the 57th minute and then Botha’s try five minutes later, and eventually emerged victorious after the late scramble.
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