The Brumbies burgled a backs-to-the-wall 17-19 win over the Stormers in a helter-skelter Super Rugby match at Newlands, Cape Town.
The Brumbies started fast, taking a quick-fire two-try lead, but had to hold on for a come-from-behind win.
Rory Arnold, Pete Samu and Tom Banks all crossed for the visitors. Christian Lealiifano’s two conversions proved vital for the Brumbies.
The victory makes it six wins from their last eight away matches in South Africa, while defeat ends the Stormers recently good home form.
The South Africans were awarded a penalty try and Wilco Louw crossed for the second try.
Josh stander, in for Jean-Luc du Plessis, kicked a penalty and conversion, however, he crucially missed an important penalty in the second half that would have given his side a late one-point lead.
Once the Western Cape’s bogey team, the Brumbies have struggled to assert their dominance in recent times, but they defied the odds, making 206 tackles from 226 attempts.
Super Rugby Video Highlights: Stormers versus Brumbies, Newlands, Cape Town, Round 10, 2019
The Cape side only made 83 from 88. They were solid in the set-pieces too, winning all 19 lineouts and six scrums.
The ACT franchise lost two of their seven scrums, giving away five scrum-penalties throughout the game, and lost two lineouts, too.
This game was not an exhibition.
It was as good a rear-guard action as seen in modern times, but equally as naive a display you will see in a while.
The Stormers had more than 66% possession and 71% territory at the final whistle, but the Aussies defied them.
The South Africans returned from a poor Australasian tour where they lost their first three games before upsetting the form Australian team the Melbourne Rebels in their final match.
They had the better of most of the game except for the opening 10 minutes and the last 20.
Kickable goals were waved away for lineout and scrums, but the hosts did not make their advantage count.
It was poor game management by the young team, who had captain Siya Kolisi on the bench for most of the match and a newbie at flyhalf in Josh Stander.
His rushed penalty might have been costly because the Stormers never went back to him despite getting awarded multiple penalties in the final stages.
Dan McKellar’s side showed typical Australian smarts as they ground down the clock to record a famous away win in the Republic.
Aussies start hot
The Brumbies came flying out the gate, scoring twice inside the opening 10 minutes.
Arnold was involved in both, sending Samu away with a smart offload for the first, and scoring the second.
The lock-forward charged down Herschel Jantjies’ poor clearance, beat Damian Willemse to the bouncing ball, and waltzed over for the try.
The two tries sandwiched a Stander penalty as the visitors led by nine.
The game’s first scrum came in the 14th minute.
There were another three in the following five minutes of which the Stormers’ pack won two penalties as they looked to assert their early set-piece dominance.
Stormers lay siege but come away with nothing
Fleck’s side dominated territory (72%) and possession (78%) after Arnold’s try but was sloppy inside the red zone.
Stand-in captain Steven Kitshoff eschewed five kickable goals inside the opposition’s 22, opting for an array of lineouts and scrums – they came to nought.
The Brumbies were shipping penalties and lucky not to have a man in the bin.
Crazy end to the first half
Salmaan Moerat had his maiden Super rugby try chalked off because Louw knocked on in the build-up.
Louw was then penalised for collapsing, allowing the Brumbies to clear.
The Stormers camped inside the tourist’s 22 but now found themselves inside their 22.
A handling error and a lost lineout saved the home team’s blushes.
Then the madness at the end. Janjies’ picked up at the base of a ruck and darted through a gap.
He ran from his 10m into the opposition’s 22 before Toni Pulu tackled him.
The tackle dislodged the ball, and the referee blew for halftime.
However, after a discussion with his assistants, referee Nick Briant went to the TMO for a high-tackle by Pulu on Jantjies.
The Brumbies had to be called back out because they were already down the Newlands tunnel and halfway to the change rooms.
It took a few minutes for Mr Briant to agree with TMO Marius Jonker before he awarded a penalty try and yellow carded the winger.
It was a double whammy for the Brumbies, who instead of taking a nine-point lead into the shed, went in with a two-point lead and a man in the sin-bin for the opening 10 minutes of the second half.
Stormers make extra man count, but Brumbies regroup
Louw atoned for his earlier sins, crashing over soon after the restart to punish the 14-man Brumbies.
Ruhan Nel thought he had scored, but a superb cover tackle by Henry Speight cancelled out the on-field call.
The Stormers could not make their numerical advantage count.
Pulu returned, and after some patient build-up by the Brumbies, they levelled when Banks finished a good inter-linking move between the backs and forwards.
Lealiifano curled his conversion through the posts to give his side another slim lead.
When James slipper was penalised for hinging, the Stormers’ management seemed to make the call for a shot at goal because the tee was on the field immediately.
However, Stander rushed his kick, pushing it wide. There began a long siege of the visitors’ goal-line.
McKellar’s men started to ship penalties at this stage of the first half, and they did so again at the end of the game.
Somehow, they kept the home team out, forcing them into mistakes as impatience got the better of them.
As the clock ran down, so did the engines of the home team, who ran out of ideas as well as energy.
Final Score: Stormers 17 (10) Brumbies 19 (12)
Scorers
Stormers
Tries – Penalty try, Louw
Pen – Stander
Con – Stander
Drop –
Cards –
Brumbies
Tries – Samu, Arnold, Banks
Pen –
Con – Lealiifano (2)
Drop –
Cards – Pulu (Yellow, 41′)
Match Officials
Referee: Nick Briant
Assistant Ref 1: Glen Jackson
Assistant Ref 2: Federico Anselmi
TMO: Marius Jonker
Teams
Stormers
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan Kriel, 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Joshua Stander, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Kobus van Dyk, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Ernst van Rhyn, 5 Cobus Wiese, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Johan du Toit, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Justin Phillips, 22 JJ Engelbrecht, 23 Seabelo Senatla.
Brumbies
15 Tom Banks, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Tom Wright, 11 Toni Pulu, 10 Christian Lealiifano (captain), 9 Joe Powell, 8 Pete Samu, 7 Jahrome Brown, 6 Tom Cusack, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Folau Fainga’a, 1 Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16 Josh Mann-Rea, 17 James Slipper, 18 Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin, 19 Darcy Swain, 20 Murray Douglas, 21 Matt Lucas, 22 Wharenui Hawera, 23 Andy Muirhead.
