Below-par Stormers left to wait

Saturday 17th May 2008

The Stormers failed once again to collect maximum points in their 22-13 win over the brave Lions in a scrappy Super 14 derby match at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Coach Rassie Erasmus and his troops' semi-final hopes now lie in the hands of the Sharks and will have a long agonising wait to see whether their South African neighbours can pick up a bonus point against the Chiefs in the final round-round match of the weekend.

If the Sharks pick up a win and score four tries doing so, or if they beat the Chiefs by more than 18 points in Durban, it will spell the end of the Stormers' heartbreaking campaign.

It could so nearly have been far worse for the below-par Stormers, who - with ten minutes of the match remaining - were heading for a draw with the last-placed Lions until two late tries by winger Sireli Naqelevuki and replacement flanker Robbie Diack sealed their win.

The Stormers lacked the urgency, commitment and the basics to get the elusive bonus point required to guarentee the Cape Town hopefuls a place in the Super 14 semi-finals.

They knew what was required, but failed in every department to make sure it was done.

Botched line-outs (six lost on their own throw), messy scrums, miscommunication between players and a lack of game-breakers was all the Stormers could muster in a dreadful performance not worthy of a place in the last four.

The Stormers, lacking ideas throughout the match, had no answer for the Lions' outstanding defence whose telling tackles kept their visitors at bay and on the backfoot in a physical encounter played in front of a decent crowd.

It wasn't as if the Stormers didn't have their chances - they had plenty - but failed to take advantage of the majority of possession, territory, free kicks and penalties as well as their countless scoring opportunities thrown their way.

They looked nervous and tense, trying to rush things too much, and this lack of patience translated itself into the missed opportunities that just caused more frustration and caused the pressure to grow to the extent that soon the Stormers were caught in a vicious cycle.

There were at least three try-scoring opportunities wasted in the first half hour, one of them a great three on one overlap which somehow the Cape team conspired to make a mess of.

Repeatedly the Stormers would make the initial break, and look to be building up for a score, only for desperate Lions defence to hold them out.

Fly-half Peter Grant did ensure the Stormers were the first on the board when he kicked a penalty in the 18th minute, but the Stormers had to wait until the 31st minute for their first try, which was scored by skipper Jean de Villiers off a build-up that exhibited all the virtues, such as patience, that were missing earlier and indeed later on in the match.

At that stage the Lions, who were guilty of some cynical professional fouling, were down to 14 men after referee Marius Jonker sent centre Walter Venter to the sin-bin for knocking down a Stormers' pass when they were attacking.

The Stormers continued to press until the break, and continued to enjoy several opportunities as they surged through the middle, but it was a day where it has to be said they definitely missed the searing pace of the injured winger Tonderai Chavhanga. Wylie Human is an experienced player and did some great things, but is not the finisher that Chavhanga is.

Going into the break 8-0 in front, the writing was already on the wall for the desperate Stormers.

For the Stormers to challenge for the bonus point it needed for them to score early in the second half and put even more significant space between themselves and their opponents.

It did not happen, and instead it was the Lions who got in through a great try to Earl Rose, who was on the end of a pass from replacement scrum-half Jano Vermaak as the Lions surprised the Stormers by running at them from deep inside their own territory.

That score inspired the Lions, who became more adventurous after that, but if the Stormers thought the hosts committing to a more open game might help them, they were quickly convinced otherwise as again, up until the middle stages of the half, they were frustrated by their inability to hold onto possession.

Rose equalised the scores with a monstrous long-range penalty, and from then on it was going to be a battle just for the Stormers to win the game.

Almost all the rugby after that was played in Stormers territory as, in desperation, coach Erasmus rang the changes, with Tony Brown coming on at fly-half, Grant shifting to centre, Ross Skeate coming on for Andries Bekker and Deon Fourie coming on as the hooker, with Brits moving to the loose trio.

The changes had their effect, they opened up the play with some spectacular running and passing. There were a couple of surges through the middle - the Lions briefly regained possession and threatened - but then it was the Stormers who had the ball again and big Fijian, Naqelevuki, crashed over the try.

Grant's conversion made it a seven-point buffer before the Stormers struck again, this time after some great running from backs and forwards alike - particularly by Skeate - and fellow replacement loose forward Robbie Diack (on for Adriaan Fondse) was over in the corner.

The Lions were out on their feet and you sensed that all the Stormers needed to do was get hold of the ball and another try, the crucial fourth one, would be in the offing.

Sadly for the Super 14 contenders, it did not happen, and in their desperation to commit themselves to all-out attack the Stormers saw a try go the other way to Lions replacement Jannie Boshoff.

That really was that as far as the Stormers were concerned, possibly for the season, and that last score could yet prove crucial if the Sharks don't pick up the bonus point and it goes to a points for and against count-out.

But the Stormers, although there was an element of choke about the way they fluffed their opportunities earlier, can return to Cape Town (if that is indeed where they are headed on Sunday) feeling proud of the way they have challenged for the silverware this season.

Man of the match: Captain Jean de Villiers battled on gallantly, was influential in the midfield and led with aplomb - such a shame the rest of his team couldn't follow suit.

Moment of the match: It was late coming, but Robbie Diack try in the 77th minute of the match really turned this match on it's head and gave Stormers' fans a faint hope of achieving the impossible task of scoring one last try with three minutes of the match remaining. Sadly for them, it wasn't to be.

Villain of the match: Slap on the wrists for the Lions' sin-binning duo of Walter Venter and Ross Geldenhuys. But the Stormers take this award for failing to complete their mission of scoring four tries - close but no cigar chaps.

The scorers:

For Lions:
Tries: Rose, Boshoff
Pens: Rose

The Stormers:
Tries: De Villiers, Naqelevuki, Diack
Cons: Grant 2
Pens: Grant

Yellow card: Venter, repeated infringement (Lions, 29 min), Geldenhuys, professional foul (Lions, 75 min)

Lions: 15 Earl Rose, 14 Louis Ludik, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Ryno Benjamin, 10 Jaco van Schalkwyk, 9 Chris Jonck, 8 Willem Alberts, 7 Joe van Niekerk, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (c), 5 Gerhard Mostert, 4 Dewald Senekal, 3 JC Janse van Rensburg, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Heinke van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Ethienne Reynecke, 17 Ross Geldenhuys, 18 Franco van der Merwe, 19 Wilhelm Koch, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Jannie Boshoff, 22 Dusty Noble.

Stormers: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Wylie Human, 13 Gcobani Bobo, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Sireli Naqelevuki, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Luke Watson, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Pieter Myburgh, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brian Mujati, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Schalk Ferreira.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Ross Skeate, 19 Robbie Diack, 20 Bolla Conradie, 21 Tony Brown, 22 Dylan des Fountain.

Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Touch judges: Mark Lawrence (South Africa), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
Television match official: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)
Assessor: Banks Yantolo (South Africa)
Timekeeper: Kat Swanepoel (South Africa)