The DHL Stormers finished their Vodacom United Rugby Championship tour on a high note when they beat the Dragons 24-10 at the Rodney Parade in Newport.
The DHL Stormers further stepped up their game from last weekend with hard defensive tackles and dominant forward play in the scrums. The Dragons enjoyed the majority of the possession and territory in the first half scoring 10 points during a yellow card period against the Stormers. The Stomers managed to close the scoring gap to 1 point with penalty kicks toward the end of the first half which ended 9-10 in favour of the Dragons.
The Stormers took control of the match in the beginning of the second half with good attacking play and relentless scrum pressure in the Dragons' quarter managing to take the lead on the scoreboard with 12 minutes left to play. They continued their aggressive defence and prevented the Dragons from scoring any points in the second half.
14:44 The Stormers are awarded a penalty in the Dragons' quarter in front of the posts which was successfully kicked by Manie Libbok (3-0).
19:46 Stormers lock Salmaan Moerat received a yellow card for a high tackle.
20:00 The Dragons kept the Stormers pinned in their half for most of the first 20 minutes with good defence and tactical kicking. The Stormers managed to get into the Dragons half after 15 min by running the ball wide and with their own tactical kicking getting points on the board for their efforts.
21:49 Dragons scored their first points of the match with a try by Jordan Williams who collected a clever chip kick through the Stormers' defensive line to score under the posts. Converted by Sam Davies (3-7).
27:24 Penalty awarded to the Dragons in the Stormers' quarter in front of the post which was successfully kicked by Sam Davies (3-10).
36:30 Penalty awarded to the Stormers in the Dragons' half due to a high tackle by a Dragons player. Penalty successfully kicked by Manie Libbok (6-10).
39:46 Another penalty was awarded to the Stormers in the Dragons' quarter which was successfully kicked by Manie Libbok (9-10).
40:00 The Dragons enjoyed the majority of the possession and territory and kept the Stormers pinned in their half most of the time scoring 10 points during the yellow card period. The Stormers tried to get their playing rhythm going with strong scrum work setting a good base for the backline to play, however, the Dragons defence kept on disrupting them. The Stormers did manage to score points on the few occasions they managed to play in the Dragons' half.
60:00 The Stormers enjoyed most of the possession and territory in the beginning of the second half and managed to launch some good attacks playing all the rugby. The Dragons however managed to keep them at bay with good defence.
63:36 The Stormers scored a well-deserved try when Leolin Zas went over the try line after relentless scrum pressure by the Stormers for 10 minutes in the Dragons' quarter. Conversion missed by Manie Libbok (14-10).
72:48 Penalty awarded to the Stormers in the Dragons' half which was successfully kicked by Manie Libbok (17-10).
78:12 Leolin Zas scored a brilliant try for the Stormers from following up his own kick upfield. Conversion by Manie Libbok (24-10).
Scorers:
Dragons: Tries: Jordan Williams. Conversions: Sam Davies. Penalties: Sam Davies
Stormers: Tries: Leolin Zas (2). Conversion: Manie Libbok. Penalties: Manie Libbok (4).
Teams:
Dragons: 15. Jordan Williams, 14. Jonah Holmes, 13. Jack Dixon, 12. Aneurin Owen, 11. Jordan Olowofela, 10. Sam Davies, 9. Gonzalo Bertranou, 8. Aaron Wainwright, 7. Taine Basham, 6. Ross Moriarty (c), 5. Ben Carter, 4. Will Rowlands, 3. Mesake Doge, 2. Elliot Dee, 1. Greg Bateman. Replacements: 16. Taylor Davies, 17. Aki Seiuli, 18. Chris Coleman, 19. Joe Davies, 20. Joe Maksymiw, 21. Ollie Griffiths, 22. Rhodri Williams, 23. Josh Lewis.
DHL Stormers: 15. Warrick Gelant, 14. Leolin Zas, 13. Ruhan Nel, 12. Dan du Plessis, 11. Edwill van der Merwe, 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Stefan Ungerer, 8. Evan Roos, 7. Willie Engelbrecht, 6. Junior Pokomela, 5. Salmaan Moerat (c), 4. Ernst van Rhyn, 3. Neethling Fouche, 2. Scarra Ntubeni, 1. Brok Harris. Replacements: 16. JJ Kotze, 17. Kwenzo Blose, 18. Sazi Sandi, 19. Justin Basson, 20. Marcel Theunissen, 21. Paul de Wet, 22. Tim Swiel, 23. Juan de Jongh.
Article by Francois du Toit