Stormers too strong for Sunwolves
A Round Seven victory for the hosts was never in doubt against the Tokyo-based Super Rugby newcomers, who were suffering a sixth successive loss, including two in South Africa.
The Stormers scored seven tries to record a bonus-point win against the travelling Sunwolves at Newlands on Friday.
It was a warm, still autumn day at Newlands to welcome first of all a provincial match of sorts which is labelled the Currie Cup though there is no pot of gold at the end of the competition and then a Super Rugby match played on a balmy evening before 20 383 spectators, on the occasion of the Sunwolves' first trip to Newlands.
Western Province beat the Blue Bulls more comfortably than the 30-16 score suggests in the first match and then the Stormers beat the Sunwolves 46-19, despite the best endeavours from the gentlemen of Japan.
But there was something common to both matches. It was as if all the voices of Newlands past had called out: "Play Province rugby, chaps." The chaps, the home players in both matches, heard and heeded the call, for that is what Western Province and the Stormers did. The ball was there to be passed, caught and passed again till somebody had a good chance to run with it. And so it went to the threequarters and so it involved the fullbacks and the loose forwards and even the tight forwards and it did not matter that you who were running in the ball were hooker, prop or lock - Scarra Ntubeni, Mike Willemse, Vincent Koch or Chris van Zyl.
The job of the Stormers was easier than that of Western Province as their opponents were not as physically dominant as the Blue Bulls had been in the first game.
From the very first moment the Stormers attacked and then suddenly on the attack there was an audacious chip by Jean-Luc du Plessis that nearly brought a try. But the first score was a penalty goaled by Du Plessis, his first kick at goal in a starting role in Super Rugby. 3-0 after 5 minutes.
Riaan Viljoen, the Sunwolves fullback, had an excellent game but his first deed in the match was a mishap. He kicked directly into touch after the ball had been taken back into his 22 and from the subsequent line-out inside the visitors' 22 led to the first try, as the home side mauled and bashed with Sikhumbuzo Notshe leading the charge. Koch was close, the Sunwolves were penalised, the Stormers took a five-metre scrum and bashed till suddenly Notshe plunged over for a try under the posts. 10-0 after 8 minutes.
Two penalties gave the Stormers two five-metre line-outs on their left. Eventually they went wide right where Du Plessis sent a long pass to unmarked Kobus van Wyk who dived over. 15-0 after 18 minutes.
Again a penalty again gave the Stormers a five-metre line-out. Scarra Ntubeni threw in, the Stormers won the ball and gave back to Ntubeni who forced himself over in the right corner. 20-0 after 25 minutes.
From the kick-off the Stormers scored. The Sunwolves kicked off deep and Cheslin Kolbe, one of rugby's most mercurial players, simply raced past groping defenders before giving to Juan de Jongh who raced down the left wing and around for a try which Du Plessis converted. 27-0 after 26 minutes.
It looked as if the Sunwolves were in for a humiliation. But they attacked and received a penalty five metres from the Stormers;' goal, near the posts but opted to kick for touch. That was a flop as they kicked into touch-in-goal. The Stormers then dropped out a long way but suddenly Viliami Lolohea was refusing to be tackled and burst clear on the right. They went left where Viljoen dummied and scored. 27-5 after 31 minutes.
That was the half-time score.
Three early second-half penalties to the Sunwolves at breakdowns set them attacking. From the third they had a line-out 10 metres from the Stormers' goal-line on their left. They went right where scrumhalf Yuki Yatomi threw an extravagant dummy, accelerated and scored. Flyhalf Yu Tamura converted. 27-12
The last two tries had been scored by the Sunwolves but when the Stormers got back to scoring tries it was created by an intricate tapestry of 15 passes and patterns of running till Du Plessis picked out Notshe who cut through untouched and scored well in. 34-12 after 51 minutes.
Three minutes later they scored again, this time a solo effort as Louis Schreuder broke, stepped and swerved. He was knocked down but bounced up again and plunged over for a try at the posts. 41-12.
The Stormers were neglectful when they won the ball back from a breakdown just inside their own half on the Sunwolves' right. The Sunwolves grabbed the ball and eventually went wide left to Viljoen on the left touchline. The sturdy fullback raced down the touchline, warding off Van Wyk's attempts to push him out and scored in the left corner, his second try in the match. Tamura converted from touch. 41-19.
The match tended to fizzle after this but there was life when Leolin Zas was tackled out at the corner and an unhappy incident when lock Timothy Bond was red-carded 10 minutes from time for a late shoulder charge on Cheslin Kolbe, his right shoulder connecting with Kolbe's head. The match officials examined the incident and then Bond was shown a red card with nine minutes to play.
The Sunwolves were attacking on their right when Lolohea flung the ball infield. It was knocked into the arms of Du Plessis, just in from touch and about seven metres out side of his 22. The strong flyhalf started running. He grubbered ahead. He got to the ball first near the half-way line and flykicked it ahead. He chased it and flykicked it again. He raced after it, snatched it up and scored in the corner, ending the match at 46-19.
Man of the Match: There were several candidates - Riaan Viljoen and Yuki Yatomi of the Sunwolves and Scarra Ntubeni, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Vincent Kock of the Stormers pack and of their backs Cheslin Kolbe and our choice 21-year-old Jean-Luc du Plessis for his skill and vision, a flyhalf to run a team.
The scorers:
For Stormers:
Tries: Notshe 2, Van Wyk, Ntubeni, De Jongh, Schreuder, Du Plessis
Cons: Du Plessis 4
Pen: Du Plessis
For Sunwolves:
Tries: Viljoen 2, Yatomi
Cons: Tamura 2
Red card: Timothy Bond (Sunwolves, 71 - dangerous play, shoulder charge)
Teams:
Stormers: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Juan de Jongh (co-captain), 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Schalk Burger, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 JD Schickerling, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Oliver Kebble.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 Frans Malherbe (co-captain), 19 Rynhardt Elstadt, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Huw Jones, 23 Damian de Allende.
Sunwolves: 15 Riaan Viljoen, 14 Viliami Lolohea, 13 Mifiposeti Paea, 12 Derek Carpenter, 11 Akihito Yamada, 10 Yu Tamura, 9 Yuki Yatomi, 8 Tomas Leonardi, 7 Ed Quirk, 6 Liaki Moli, 5 Timothy Bond, 4 Shinya Makabe, 3 Takuma Asahara, 2 Shota Horie (captain), 1 Masataka Mikami.
Replacements: 16 Takeshi Kizu, 17 Ziun Gu, 18 Shinnosuke Kakinaga, 19 Yoshiya Hosoda, 20 Andrew Durutalo, 21 Atsushi Hiwasa, 22 Harumichi Tatekawa, 23 Yasutaka Sasakura .
Referee: Nicholas Berry (Australia)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), AJ Jacobs (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)