It was the last minute at the Singapore National Stadium, and the Stormers were staring an embarrassing defeat in the face against the Sunwolves.
But then Cheslin Kolbe decided to do something about it – with the Stormers 17-10 down in an atrocious display – with the quicksilver fullback skipping out of a ruck from a scrumhalf position on the halfway line and flying down the right flank.
Kolbe looked like he was going all the way to the tryline, but a crucial ankle tap from wing Akihito Yamada brought him down inside the Sunwolves 22. The Cape side recycled the ball and worked the play to the left, and replacement tighthead prop Vincent Koch crashed over to put the Stormers two points behind.
A draw hinged on the shoulders of Brandon Thomson, but the young flyhalf held his nerve to slot the conversion and secure a 17-17 draw.
But that outcome shouldn’t change the fact that the Stormers produced one of their worst ever performances in Super Rugby history, as they bumbled from one penalty to the next in a match reminiscent of the Springboks’ upset loss to Japan at last year’s Rugby World Cup.
It was clear that the Stormers thought they just needed to pitch up in Singapore to win the game, such was the overconfidence in their play as they sometimes resembled a touch rugby team.
They threw the ball around with gay abandon, seemingly without any thought or intent, with one-off runners the order of the day. There was very little control provided by halfbacks Louis Schreuder and Jean-Luc du Plessis, and the Stormers pack were beaten all day long by the energetic Sunwolves forwards at the breakdown.
The Japanese outfit was in the faces of the Stormers throughout, and the rush defence worked a treat as they disrupted the Cape side’s attack.
But it must be said that the Stormers’ obsession with having forwards standing at flyhalf and “trucking it up” was one of the main reasons that they battled to get cohesion on attack.
It appeared as if each player was operating in isolation, whereas the Sunwolves put together some excellent phase-play and looked much more dangerous on attack than the visitors.
After early penalties were exchanged by the respective flyhalves Du Plessis and Tusi Pisi, it was Riaan Viljoen’s well-placed grubber into the Stormers 22 that took an awkward bounce and the ball evaded Kolbe. The Sunwolves retained possession and Yamada dived over in the corner.
The Stormers made a number of unforced errors, with knock-ons at the back of the scrum and in general play, while their lineout wasn’t functioning smoothly and New Zealand referee Paul Williams penalised them a few times at the scrum.
Even when Juan de Jongh’s team took the ball through 23 phases and got to within 10 metres of the Sunwolves’ line, it never looked like they would score as their offensive play was disjointed and lacked urgency and purpose.
Pisi stretched the lead with three more penalties to put the home side 17-3 up after 50 minutes, and the Stormers had some luck going their way as Yamada’s attempt to score was first given as a try, but upon a TV review, a penalty was awarded to the Stormers as Yamada had played the ball on the ground just after halftime.
The Stormers managed to get inside the Sunwolves 22 and had a few stabs at the line without success, but the outstanding Pieter-Steph du Toit eventually got over to get his team within seven points with 18 minutes to go.
They had further opportunities to set up lineouts five metres from the line, but Du Plessis kicked a penalty into touch in-goal, while Damian de Allende and Sikhumbuzo Notshe also lost the ball in the tackle.
Du Toit kept the Stormers in the game with an astonishing lineout steal on his own line in the closing stages, and that proved to be the crucial moment in the end.
Kolbe weaved his magic and Koch’s touchdown gave the Stormers two log points, but coach Robbie Fleck will have to think long and hard about his selections and tactics going forward if his team are to become serious contenders for the title.
It doesn’t get any easier for the Stormers, with the Bulls lying in wait at Loftus Versfeld next Saturday (7.20pm kickoff).
Points scorers:
Sunwolves – Try: Akihito Yamada. Penalties: Tusi Pisi (4).
Stormers – Tries: Pieter-Steph du Toit, Vincent Koch. Conversion: Jean-Luc du Plessis (1), Brandon Thomson (1). Penalty: Du Plessis (1).
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