Waratahs overcome by Stormers

Apr 13 • General News, Super Rugby • 1621 Views • Comments Off on Waratahs overcome by Stormers

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NSW Waratahs 18 – Stormers 32

Asteron Life Super Rugby round 9 – Allianz Stadium, Sydney

The NSW Waratahs have gone down 32-18 to the Stormers at Allianz Stadium. A brace to Springbok centre Damian de Allende, and tries to Jacobus van Wyk and Cheslin Kolbe, proved too much for the defending champions, as the Stormers recorded their first victory in Sydney since 2007.

However the 14-point winning margin flattered the visitors, as the Waratahs’ bruising defence kept them in a tight arm-wrestle right up until the final ten minutes. It was two crucial turnovers at the death that proved the difference, as the Stormers converted both chances into tries to record a hard fought bonus-point victory.

THE MATCH
The Stormers had all the possession in the opening five minutes, but the Tahs welcomed them to Sydney with some physical defence; they lost over 20 metres in attack on each of their two opening visits to the Tahs’ 22, courtesy of some driving tackling from the likes of Wycliff Palu and Jacques Potgieter.

It was a scrum penalty that finally got the Stormers off the mark, as flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis kicked the opening three points seven minutes into the half.

Momentum soon swung the Tahs’ way, and Israel Folau broke through and offloaded to giant winger Taqele Naiyaravoro, who steamrolled over three would-be tacklers on his way into the right corner.

A minute later, Catrakilis seized back the lead with his second penalty goal. But the Waratahs’ swarming defence was clearly agitating the visitors, as the flyhalf tried a speculative drop goal attempt that wobbled over the dead ball line.

It was an error on attack, rather than defence, which finally broke the Waratahs down, as Catrakilis pounced on a loose ball in the 22. From there it an easy proposition for the Stormers, as they swung it wide to an unmarked Damian de Allende. Catrakilis kicked the extras, and the visitors had an imposing 5-13 lead midway through the half.

After a disjointed opening, the Tahs attack finally found some fluency with five minutes to go in the half. Foley slotted a penalty goal and then Kurtley Beale burst through down the right and fed Nick Phipps, who was dragged down by de Allende metres from the line.

>From the next scrum Phipps fired a crisp cut-out ball to Rob Horne, who muscled past opposing winger van Wyk to lunge over in the far left corner. And with Foley’s sideline conversion, the Tahs went into the halftime break with a two-point advantage.

The Stormers subbed Catrakilis during the interval, and his replacement Kurt Coleman missed a tricky first attempt from beyond halfway three minutes into the second half. The substitute made amends soon after, nudging a pinpoint chip kick into the open arms of van Wyk, who sprinted 70m downfield for a remarkable long-range try.

Three minutes later, Foley had a chance to narrow the margin but his attempt ricocheted off the left upright. His second from a similar position didn’t miss, and the Tahs reduced the margin to two points with 20 minutes remaining.

But that was as close as the home side would come, as some poor execution and sloppy cover defence cruelled any hope of a comeback. A one-handed intercept from Stormers Captain Juan de Jongh on halfway gifted de Allende his second try of the game, and fullback Cheslin Kolbe scooped up a loose ball to hand the visitors a four-try bonus point in the shadows of fulltime.

To make matters worse, the season doesn’t get any easier for the defending champions; they travel across the ditch to take on the table-topping Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday, April 18 at 2:30pm.

Stormers 32 (tries: de Allende 2, van Wyk, Kolbe; cons: Catrakilis, Coleman 2; pens: Catrakilis 2) def NSW Waratahs 18 (tries: Naiyaravoro, Horne; cons: Foley; pens: Foley 2)

NSW Waratahs: 1. Benn Robinson (Eastwood), 2.Tolu Latu (Sydney University), 3. Sekope Kepu (Randwick), 4. Will Skelton (Sydney University), 5. David Dennis (Sydney University, captain), 6. Jacques Potgieter (Eastern Suburbs), 7. Michael Hooper (Manly, vice-captain), 8. Wycliff Palu (Manly), 9. Nick Phipps (Sydney University), 10. Bernard Foley (Sydney University), 11. Rob Horne (Southern Districts), 12. Kurtley Beale (Randwick), 13. Matt Carraro (Randwick), 14. Taqele Naiyaravoro (Parramatta), 15. Israel Folau (Sydney University, vice-captain).

Replacements: 16. Tatafu Polota-Nau (Parramatta), 17. Jeremy Tilse (Sydney University), 18. Paddy Ryan (Sydney University), 19. Mitchell Chapman (Eastern Suburbs), 20. Stephen Hoiles (Randwick), 21. Brendan McKibbin (Eastern Suburbs), 22. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Northern Suburbs), Peter Betham (Sydney University).

Stormers: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Scarra Ntubeni, 3. Frans Malherbe, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 5. Manuel Carizza, 6. Schalk Burger (vice-captain), 7. Michael Rhodes, 8. Nizaam Carr, 9. Nic Groom, 10. Demetri Catrakilis, 11. Dillyn Leyds, 12. Damian de Allende, 13. Juan de Jongh (captain), 14. Kobus van Wyk, 15. Cheslin Kolbe.

Replacements: 16. Bongi Mbonambi, 17. Oli Kebble, 18. Vincent Koch, 19. Jean Kleyn, 20. Siya Kolisi, 21. Louis Schreuder, 22. Kurt Coleman, 23. Huw Jones.

Referee: Mike Fraser (NZL)

Half-time: NSW Waratahs 15 – Stormers 13

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