OWN CORRESPONDENT, PUKEKOHE | Sunday 2.00pm.
SOUTH Africa’s Stormers pipped New Zealand’s Chiefs 28-25 in a Super 12 match in Pukekohe on Sunday.
The Stormers’ win, after the teams had been locked 18-18 at halftime, is only the second away victory by a South African side in this season’s competition and consigned the Chiefs to yet another home loss.
Both sides are languishing in the bottom half of the table and the match was billed as one that would see the loser vanish from top four play-off hopes.
The Chiefs have now lost three home matches by four or less points, but on Sunday the team had only themselves to blame with the quality of play by both sides often poor.
Braam van Straaten and Loki Crichton exchanged penalties in the first 13 minutes before the Chiefs scored the game’s first try through Crichton after a fine run.
Crichton then converted and just three minutes later fullback Bruce Reihana increased the Chiefs’ lead to 15-3 when he went over after excellent work from powerhouse No 8 Isitolo Maka.
Robert Markram reduced the arrears with a try but Van Straaten missed the conversion and in the 32nd minute Crichton increased the Chiefs’ lead to 18-11 with a penalty.
In the 37th minute, speedy winger Breyton Paulse scored from a quickly taken tap penalty and sweetly timed pass by Dan van Zyl, van Straaten converted and the teams ended the half at 18-18.
The Stormers briefly went ahead through a Van Straaten penalty in the 50th minute, only for the Chiefs to score another converted try.
But in the 65th minute Paulse pounced on a dropped Chiefs’ pass and raced from halfway to score, with van Straaten putting over the conversion to seal the win. — Reuters
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