Auckland - Fyhalf Chris Noakes kicked six penalties to lift the Auckland-based Blues to an 18-17 win over South Africa's Stormers in their Super Rugby showdown on Friday.
Noakes became the first Blues player to kick six penalties in a match, missing only one attempt at goal as his team heavily punished the Cape Town-based Stormers for lapses in composure and technique.
Just as the outcome of the match seemed clear, with the Blues leading 15-3 and 15 minutes remaining, Stormers centre and captain Jean de Villiers ran in two exceptional tries to all but snatch a win.
The Stormers held the ball through more than 20 phases in stoppage time to set up a dropped goal chance for replacement flyhalf Elton Jantjies but his attempt went harmlessly astray. - Reuters and Sapa-AP
Scores:
Blues - Penalties: Noakes (6)
Stormers - Tries: Jean de Villiers (2); Conversions: Joe Pietersen (2); Penalties: Pietersen.