The Auckland Blues’ Hayden Triggs was red-carded after 25 minutes as the Western Stormers triumphed 27-16 at Newlands Stadium on Saturday to go top of the Super 15 table.
Triggs was sent off by referee Craig Joubert after punching the Stormers’ Duane Vermuelen twice in an off-the-ball incident spotted by an assistant referee during the second-round game.
Captain Vermuelen, making his 100th southern hemisphere inter-provincial championship appearance, saw his side initially take advantage of their numerical superiority to build an 18-6 half-time lead.
Photo: EPA
However, the anticipated second-half dominance of the South Africans did not materialize and while they finished comfortable winners, never looked like claiming a four-try bonus point.
The Blues, narrow losers at home to the Waikato Chiefs last weekend, clawed within five points of the Stormers 12 minutes into the second half after fullback Charles Piutau created a try.
He found space in the home defense and broke through before passing to replacement loose forward Luke Braid, who sent scrumhalf Jimmy Cowan over.
Young flyhalf Ihaia West converted to maintain a perfect goal-kicking record in the match after slotting three penalties, and raising his season tally to 29 points.
However, the Stormers kept their nerve and penalties by flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis and his replacement, Kurt Coleman, secured a hollow 11-point victory.
Victory lifted the Cape Town team to eight points after a win over the Northern Bulls in Pretoria last weekend — level with the Wellington Hurricanes, but ahead on points difference.
Defeat left three-time champions the Blues second last in the Super 15 standings.
In Saturday’s other Super 15 encounter, a brace of second-half tries from flank Marcell Coetzee earned the Coastal Sharks a bonus-point 29-12 Super 15 victory over the Golden Lions in rain-drenched Durban.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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