The Stormers again showed the composure needed to close out a match on a winning note when they defeated the Sharks 29-13 in the all-SA Super Rugby derby at Newlands on Saturday evening.
There were times when the Sharks bossed the Stormers at set-piece and turn-over time but the Stormers made the most of the scoring chances that came their way, and their flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis was once again in splendid form with the boot, scoring 14 points for his side.
The Sharks did enough in the match to have secured a winning result but errors crept into their game when it looked like they could crack the opposition defence.
However, at 19-13 in favour of the Stormers, and with 15 minutes’ play left, the match was still precariously balanced but referee Jaco Peyper strangely awarded the Stormers a penalty-try which substitute flyhalf Kurt Coleman converted (26-13).
This call by the referee finally sounded the death knell for the visiting Sharks.
An opening moment of enterprising play by the Sharks' backline players caught the Stormers' defence napping and had it not been for a wayward forward pass when the tryline was at their mercy, the KZN visitors would have been on the scoreboard inside 60 seconds.
Flyhalf Pat Lambie came good with a third-minute penalty to give Sharks a 3-0 lead.
The Stormers were slow out of the blocks after surrendering a line-out ball as well as a turn-over but they started hitting their straps about the 10th minute onwards. They made several strong ball-in-hand runs into the Sharks' half and one of those looked set to pay off but Stormers centre Juan de Jongh spilt a line-breaking off-load.
But the Stormers made the breakthrough after they launched a telling counter-attack from their own 22m line in the 18th minute. Moments later, an up-and-under from flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis was brilliantly collected by his teammate rightwing Johnny Kotze who shrugged one tackler before he ran in from 40 metres out to dot down under the posts. Catrakilis goaled the conversion (7-3).
The Sharks shrugged off the setback with several attacking sorties into the Stormers 22m area and were held up on the tryline on one occasion. The Sharks' pressure took its toll shortly after Stormers scrumhalf Nic Groom was yellow-carded and Lambie forced his way over from about 10 metres, and his conversion allowed the Sharks to regain the lead (10-7).
As the match approached the halfway mark, the Stormers looked a lot more buoyant and they produced several threatening runs but it was the Catrakilis' boot that made the difference with two penalties for 13-10 lead by the time the teams changed ends.
The Stormers started where they left off when play resumed and took play into the Sharks' 22m are where the won two penalties in the space of eight minutes. Catrakilis converted both to open up a 19-10 lead for the Stormers in the 49th minute.
At stage of the match, lock Eben Etzebeth was substituted when it appeared he had taken a knock to the shoulder.
Three minutes later there was a mighty roar when Newlands’ favourite son Schalk Burger came off the bench to replace Siya Kolisi.
Lambie reduced the deficit with a 73rd minute penalty (19-13) before the referee awarded the Stormers a penalty-try.
There was no more grief for the Sharks when their centre Frans Steyn was yellow-carded seven minutes from the end, and Coleman goaled the resultant penalty to round off the scoring in the match 29-13.
Scorers: Stormers: Tries: Johnny Kotze, penalty-try. Conversions: Demetri Catrakilis and Kurt Coleman Penalties: Catrakilis (4), Coleman
Sharks: Try: Patrick Lambie. Conversion: Lambie. Penalties: Lambie (2)