The DHL Stormers took on Edinburgh in Cape Town in the last of the quarter-final matches this weekend. The match was a very tightly contested affair with the scores level at 10-10 at halftime. The Stormers however gained control of the match in the second half to beat Edinburgh 28-17.
The Stormers drew first blood in the first half when they scored a converted try within the first 3 minutes of the match. The possession and territory were initially very even between the two teams and it kept on changing hands with each team scoring when in the other's quarter. Both teams initially opted to use their backlines to play the ball wide to stretch the defence.
The Stormers started to punch holes in the Edinburgh defence with their strong loose forward runners in the latter part of the half, which created some scoring opportunities, however, they could not convert it into points. They then used tactical kicks to apply pressure on the Edinburgh backline players however Edinburgh absorbed this pressure. The halftime score was 10-10.
The second half saw the Stormers taking the lead on the scoreboard when they scored a converted try within the first 4 minutes of the half. They increased their lead with a penalty kick and another try. The momentum of the match swung in favour of the Stormers before Edinburg was able to respond with a converted try of their own. The Stormers however took control of the match and kept on building on their scoreboard lead. They prevented Edinburgh from gaining any good momentum with good and disruptive defence, which turned the ball over in crucial times during the Edinburgh attack.
02:07 Warrick Gelant scored a try for the Stormers after he pounced on a loose ball behind the Edinburgh try line. The try was converted by Manie Libbok (07-00).
06:53 A penalty was given against the Stormers in their quarter which was kicked by Emiliano Boffelli to open the Edinburgh scoring tally (07-03).
10:11 A penalty was given against Edinburgh in their quarter after an illegal clean at a ruck. The penalty was kicked by Manie Libbok (10-03).
14:47 Dave Cherry scored a try for Edinburgh after crashing over the try line from a penalty lineout driving maul. The try was converted by Emiliano Boffelli (10-10).
20:00 The first 20 minutes saw the possession and territory very even between the two teams and it kept on changing hands with each team scoring when in the other's quarter. Both teams opted to use their backlines to play the ball wide to stretch the defence.
33:50 Edinburgh's Magnus Bradbury was given a yellow card for a dangerous tackle.
40:00 The Stormers started to punch holes in the Edinburgh defence with their strong loose forward runners in the latter part of the half, which created some scoring opportunities, however, they could not convert it into points. They then used tactical kicks to apply pressure on the Edinburgh backline players however Edinburgh absorbed this pressure.
43:46 Ruhan Nel scored a brilliant try for the Stormers after a great line break by Seabelo Senatla and slick handling between the backline players. The try was converted by Manie Libbok (17-10).
50:45 A penalty was given against Edinburgh in their half after not releasing the ball after a tackle was made on an Edinburgh player. The penalty was kicked by Manie Libbok (20-10).
53:26 Evan Roos scored a try for the Stormers after the ball was knocked backwards in play a number of times by Edinburgh and collected by Roos who scored. The conversion was missed (25-10).
55:30 Henry Pyrgos scored a try for Edinburgh after they managed to beat the Stormers' backline defence. The try was converted by Emiliano Boffelli (25-17).
60:00 The Stormers applied attacking pressure on Edinburgh from the start of the second half and took the lead early in the half with a converted try. They managed to increase their lead with further scoring opportunities and the momentum of the match swung in favour of the Stormers before Edinburg was able to respond with a converted try of their own.
66:30 A penalty was given against Edinburgh in their half after offside play by an Edinburgh player. The penalty was kicked by Manie Libbok (28-17).
Scorers:
DHL Stormers: Tries: Warrick Gelant, Ruhan Nel, Evan Roos. Conversions: Manie Libbok (2). Penalties: Manie Libbok (3).
Edinburgh: Tries: Dave Cherry, Henry Pyrgos. Conversions: Emiliano Boffelli (2). Penalties: Emiliano Boffelli.
Teams:
DHL Stormers: 15. Warrick Gelant, 14. Seabelo Senatla, 13. Ruhan Nel, 12. Rikus Pretorius, 11. Leolin Zas, 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Herschel Jantjies, 8. Evan Roos, 7. Hacjivah Dayimani, 6. Deon Fourie, 5. Marvin Orie, 4. Salmaan Moerat, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. JJ Kotze, 1. Steven Kitshoff (c). Replacements: 16. Andre-Hugo Venter, 17. Brok Harris, 18. Neethling Fouche, 19. Adre Smith, 20. Ernst van Rhyn, 21. Nama Xaba, 22. Godlen Masimla, 23. Sacha Mngomezulu.
Edinburgh: 15. Emiliano Boffelli, 14. Darcy Graham, 13. Mark Bennett, 12. Chris Dean, 11. Damien Hoyland, 10. Blair Kinghorn, 9. Henry Pyrgos, 8. Magnus Bradbury, 7. Hamish Watson, 6. Luke Crosbie, 5. Grant Gilchrist, 5. Grant Gilchrist (c), 4. Jamie Hodgson, 3. WP Nel, 2. Dave Cherry, 1. Pierre Schoeman. Replacements: 16. Adam McBurney, 17. Harrison Courtney, 18. Lee-Roy Atalifo, 19. Marshall Sykes, 20. Ben Muncaster, 21. Charlie Shiel, 22. Jaco van der Walt, 23. James Lang.
Article by Francois du Toit
