If there is one thing I’d like to take from this match it’s the image of that beautiful specimen, Sireli “Knuckle-Head” Vuki sending Cory Jane on a one-way ticket back to New Zealand. That for me was poetry in motion despite the fact that Stevie “Wonder Boy” Walsh didn’t see that the ball did in fact travel backwards and not forwards.
That being said the Stormers did at no point allow him to have an impression on the game through an incredibly disciplined and clearly well drilled performance.
Their first try came after only 9 minutes, turning over Canes’ ball and showing some dazzling skill as Joe Pietersen and Sireli Naqelevuki interlinked brilliantly resulting in “Knuckle-Head” Vuki bundling over in the corner.
Canes flyhalf Willie Ripia slotted a penalty shortly after, bringing the deficit down to just 5 points as the Canes began to look like finding their feet, stringing some solid phases together.
The Stormers however regained their composure and started exerting pressure on the Canes’ defence through solid running from their loose trio as well as their midfield magicians Fourie and De Jongh. A clean break by Fourie resulted in a pass that was clearly backwards towards Naqelevuki. The big Fijian hadn’t heard “Wonder Boy’s” forward pass call and performed a Fijian “sidestep” on Cory Jane, running full tilt into him and knocking him out cold. Breathtaking stuff to watch live I tell you!
They did not need a further invitation however as for me the best attacking movement of the match resulted in a Joe Pietersen try. Some spectacular interplay, including a blinding pop by Andries Bekker to Naqelevuki on his outside resulted in the Fijian drawing defenders to unleash Joe Pietersen on his inside, as the Stormers began to pull away.
In one of the drives of the season, and something that probably brought a tear to Os Du Randt’s eye, the Stormers pack proceeded to maul the ball some 50 metres on the stroke of half-time resulting in sustained pressure on the Canes tryline. Call on that man Dewaldt Duvenage to execute a pin-point pass to No.8 Duane Vermeulen who bashed through a gap to give the Stormers their 3rd try.
The Second Half looked to start off in favour of the Hurricanes, as they once again began to string phases together but the Stormers resolute defence held firm. A TMO decision denied Brok Harris a try as the Stormers once again held their nerve but a few minutes later Harris bundled over for a well deserved try after a charge down by Peter Grant.
With the game over as a contest, Allister Coetzee emptied his bench and almost immediately Ricky Januarie conceded a try with his first movement of the game, as he stood fast asleep at the base of the scrum which allowed the Canes to pinch the ball and set up a try, but it proved too little too late.
With mere minutes remaining in the game, and with the Stormers once again finding themselves in a familiar position of camping on the Canes tryline, Jaque Fourie cut back beautifully to slice through the Canes defence ending a 5-try romp by the Stormers.
The Canes did however manage to pull back another try against the run of play after the final hooter had sounded, but this proved scant consolation on a tour that is threatening to unhinge their season. Final score 37 – 13.
Man of the Match: I’ll say this now and you can come back to me later and call me an idiot or a genius but Francois “Flo” Louw deserves a place in the Bok setup. I could’ve chosen any of a dozen Stormers players but the young man was outstanding in the loose making tackle after tackle and attending almost every ruck. He did the dirty work which provided his backline with clean ball with which to attack and must surely be a prime contender for a Bok place this year.
Elsewhere even when Bryan Habana has a quiet game he somehow always has an influence. Whenever he was brought into the backline he committed two or three Canes defenders meaning there was always space on the outside. This is the difference between superstars and good players.
Special Announcement: All Super 14 Games Featuring South African Teams will enjoy Live Commentary right here on JustRugby and you the visitor can interact with the commentators as you watch the game. Watch the game with hundreds of other Justrugby fans and share you viewpoint during the game!
