Stormers see off error-plagued Sharks to complete ‘Grand Slam’

The Stormers had to hold on at the death to secure their 29-23 United Rugby Championship victory over a tenacious Sharks team on Saturday afternoon in Cape Town. 

The Stormers had to hold on at the death to secure their 29-23 United Rugby Championship victory over a tenaciousSharks team on Saturday afternoon in Cape Town. 

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Stormers see-off error-plagued Sharks to win ‘Grand Slam’

As the hosts scored their fourth try in the 55th minute to extend their lead to 26-6, it looked like game, set, and match at DHL Stadium, but the Sharks refused to surrender, responding with three tries in the closing 20 minutes but ultimately falling short as errors and referee AJ Jacobs relcutance to keep the game moving cost the visitors.

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Apart from two Curwin Bosch penalty goals, the visitors had one other opportunity to score in the first half, but the penalty they won was overturned for misconduct at a ruck, giving the DHL Stormers the chance to move back into the other half of the field and launch their attack.

And that’s exactly what they did, moving upfield before Clayton Blommetjies crossed the goal line from an attacking scrum for their third try, adding his name to the score sheet alongside Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Ben-Jason Dixon, who scored in the opening 20 minutes, to give the Stormers a 19-6 lead at the half.

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Finding a way back

The Capetonians were slow out of the blocks in the second half, but 15 minutes after the break, Blommetjies got his second after a good cross kick from Manie Libbok into acres of space and although it first evaded Angelo Davids, the Stormers fullback was at hand to pick it up and dot down for the points.

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The Sharks scored their first try four minutes later – a brilliant effort from Yaw Penxe after a great little chip from Bosch – but an unnecesasry clear by Werner Kok on Deon Fourie saw the hosts get a penalty instead of the restart, which immediately put them back into the right side of the field on the attack.

They failed to make it count and instead the visitors, with their pack evening up the forward dual – built some momentum and Rohan Janse van Rensburg was at hand to close the gap to eight points with 15 minutes go as he stormed through four tackle-attempts for the try.

The visitors were smelling blood and the nippy Grant Williams struck hard in a matter of minutes. First, he took a quick-tap penalty which led to a yellow card to Sazi Sandi for not retreating quickly enough.

Stormers hang on

From the resulting lineout, the Sharks scrumhalf sped through a gap for a try and in the process, he stepped Seabelo Senatla who stuck out a foot for a trip, and he joined his prop in the sin bin.

Bosch missed the conversion and with a little over five minutes left, it was a three point game – which seemed unlikely 30 minutes earlier – and with 13 Capetonians playing 15 Durbanites in the closing stages.

But the visitors failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage as the Stormers’ defence and composure held firm in a tense few minutes at the end, while the Sharks seemed almost over-eager and made a few silly mistakes, one of which led to a final Libbok penalty goal to hand the Stormers their 12th consecutive SA derby victory.

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