Cape Town – Stormers flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis scored 20 points in a nail-biting comeback Super Rugby win against the Brumbies at Newlands last night.
The flyhalf converted six out of seven attempts at goal, including Schalk Burger’s try and five penalties, and added a decisive drop-goal as the Stormers recovered from a ponderous start to finish round 13 in first place in the South African conference.
In the build-up, Stormers coach Allister Coetzee hailed the appointment of referee Stuart Berry and his assessment of the referee was backed up by a penalty count of 18-5.
The Stormers only conceded one penalty in the second half as the Australians were blown up for high tackles, transgressions at the breakdown, collapsing the maul and illegal scrummaging.
The penalties went both ways in the first half and it was during this period that the Brumbies took control with flyhalf Christian Leali’ifano kicking two penalties and converting winger Joe Tomane’s try, while fullback Jesse Mogg chipped in with a penalty for a healthy half-time lead.
But ill-discipline and blatant foul play from the tourists in the second half led to a yellow card and a string of penalties that brought the Stormers back into the contest, while the Brumbies were held to one try, from flanker David Pocock, and one Leali’ifano penalty during the final 40 minutes.
Coetzee will be somewhat concerned that, despite this marked advantage, the Stormers were still at the mercy of a Leali’ifano conversion in the fourth quarter – but the Brumbies pivot missed a sitter.
A lacklustre first half, and a return of just one try from a surfeit of set-piece territory will also be on the agenda for repairs next week, but Coetzee will be impressed with the fact that, for the third time this season, the Stormers came back to win after trailing at halftime.
Steven Kitshoff and Eben Etzebeth were restored to the run-on side after a week off and this coincided with an improved line-out and reliable scrum that set the platform for victory.
Ironically, it was a Kitshoff scrum penalty that put the visitors into an early 3-0 lead, courtesy of Leali’ifano.
The Stormers loosehead made amends shortly thereafter when he produced an emphatic left shoulder at a scrum inside the Brumbies’ 22, and the hosts burst onto the attack. The Brumbies rushed up illegally and Catrakilis split the uprights to level the scores.
Brumbies halfback Nic White handed over momentum by following up a penalty kick that missed touch with a line drive that rolled over the dead-ball line.
But the Stormers returned the favour when Damian de Allende attempted to grubber the ball from a static scrum on halfway, and Tomane trapped the kick and streaked away for a long-range intercept try (13-3).
In the second quarter, the Brumbies took control of the skies and camped in enemy territory.
But captain Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Burger and Siya Kolisi teamed up to frustrate the visitors by forcing repeated turnovers at the breakdown.
They also aggravated the Newlands faithful by attempting to run out of their 22, instead of kicking for relief, and a string of unforced errors kept the Brumbies within striking distance.
As fate would have it, the Stormers had just put foot in Brumbies territory when a breakdown infringement cued Mogg up for a 52-metre penalty on the half-hour mark.
Four minutes later, Catrakiliis missed for the first time after successfully converting 28 consecutive place-kicks.
A scrum transgression was the source of that attempt and the Stormers flyhalf made sure when two more penalties against the Brumbies presented him with the chance to reduce the deficit to seven points at the break.
Within 10 minutes of the restart, a high tackle on Stormers hooker Bongi Mbonambi and another Brumbies scrum penalty allowed Catrakilis to cut the Brumbies’ lead to just one point.
The Brumbies lost a player at the end of the third quarter, and the lead a few minutes later. Jordan Smiler was yellow-carded after a video review revealed that the Brumbies replacement lock had put Burger into an involuntary somersault at the breakdown.
The veteran flanker got his revenge when he eventually thundered over for the Stormers’ first try after what felt like five reset scrums on the Brumbies five-metre line.
Catrakilis converted as the Stormers took the lead for the first time, and he then erased the memory of a third Leali’ifano penalty when nailed a 40m drop-goal.
An incisive counter-attack from Mogg forced a hideous clearing kicking from Stormers centre Juan de Jongh and Pocock coasted across the line from the ensuing line-out.
But Leali’ifano somehow hooked his easiest attempt of the match, the ball bounced off the left upright and the Stormers held on to win.
Newlands
Stormers (16) 25
Try: Burger
Conversion: Catrakilis
Penalties: Catrakilis (5)
Drop-goal: Catrakilis
ACT Brumbies (9) 24
Tries: Tomane, Pocock
Conversion: Lealiifano
Penalties: Leali’ifano (3), Mogg