Cape Town’s Stormers host Melbourne’s Rebels in the second match this Friday and this will be the fifth match between the sides.
The Stormers have won four and the Rebels one. Three of the matches between these sides was played in Melbourne.
- The Stormers have won four of their previous five encounters against the Rebels, including each of the last two.
- The Stormers have won 12 of their last 13 regular season games at home against teams visiting from outside South Africa, including each of their last seven such fixtures.
- The Rebels have won only one of 10 games away from home since the beginning of last season (D1, L8), with that sole win coming against the Sunwolves in Round 3 this season.
- The Stormers have enjoyed 17 minutes and 52 seconds of time in possession per game this season, the second most of any team (Blues – 18m 26s).
- Sefanaia Naivalu makes an average gain of 13m per carry this season, the best of any player to have made at least five carries this season (26 carries, 338 metres).
Match detail
We are waiting for the kick-off.
1.00: PEEEEP! We are underway on Freedom Day in South Africa.
3.00: There were some late changes to the Rebels lineup. Jack Maddocks pulled out with an injury. Reece Hodge has moved to fullback and Tom English has gone to outside centre from the wing. Sefa Naivalu is starting on the right wing and Tayler Adams comes into the matchday squad on the bench.
5.00: Both these teams have not won a match in the past month, losing three times each. Stormers coach Robbie Fleck is under pressure to keep his job after an ordinary 2018 Super Rugby season.
6.00: The Rebels get into the Stormers 22 and win another penalty.
6.00: PENALTY! Jack Debreczeni takes the kick quickly and makes no mistake. 0-3
8.00: The Stormers take a free-kick quickly, but the attack is halted after Craig Barry knocks on inside the Melbourne 22.
10.00: A big scrum from the home team earns them a penalty. Damian Willemse will take a shot at goal.
11.00: PENALTY! Damian Willemse levels the scores and goes past 100 points (102) in Super Rugby. 3-all
13.00: The Rebels get another penalty for offsides at the ruck. Ramone Samuels lost the ball forward in a counter-attack from the Stormers 22. From the lineout, the visitors went through the phases before winning the penalty.
14.00: PENALTY! Debreczeni slots the easy kick. 3-6
15.00: The Stormers have already made five handling errors in the opening 15 minutes. The Rebels, one.
16.00: TRY! Damian de Allende bursts through some sloppy tackling. The centre is tackled, gets up and goes though Debreczeni before handing off Hodge to score. 8-6
17.00: CONVERSION! Willemse adds the extras. 10-6
19.00: Billy Meakes and Amanaki Mafi are both caught offsides. Willemse kicks into Rebels territory.
20.00: Anaru Rangi is pinged for being off his feet. Siya Kolisi points to the posts.
21.00: MISS! Willemse’s kick is pushed away to the right of the posts. 10-6
23.00: This game is littered with handling errors and penalties; almost every phase ends with one or the other.
24.00: The referee is checking with the TMO for a Lopeti Timani shoulder charge at the ruck. It’s dangerous and a penalty is awarded to the home team.
26.00: A bit of a kicking duel taking place between the two teams.
28.00: Barry has almost put away after some good interplay between the backs and forwards, but the final pass was forward.
29.00: EW Viljoen steps on his inside and ghosts through the Rebels defenders. However, De Allende impeded Hodge which opened the space for his centre partner. That is poor from De Allende.
31.00: The Rebels win the ball after a Stormers knock on during the driving maul. The Australians have defended the driving maul well, so far.
33.00: TRY! JJ Engelbrecht takes Pieter-Steph du Toit’s pass and is in for the score. It came from another big scrum by the Stormers, winning the Rebels put-in. Willemse’s long pass to the flanker cut out all the defenders. 15-6
35.00: CONVERSION! Willemse adds the two points. 17-6
37.00: Another lost ball forwards, halts a Stormers attack. Scrum to the Aussies inside their 22.
38.00: The Melbourne team concedes the free-kick after Michael Ruru kicks the ball back into the tunnel. The halfback pleads innocence but he was guilty as sin.
40.00: The Rebels get out of jail and are on the attack.
42.00: The ball is put into touch by Willemse.
The halftime score was Stormers 17 Rebels 6
41.00: PEEEEP! We are back underway at Newlands.
43.00: The Stormers have a scrum inside the Rebels 22. They win a penalty and opt for another.
44.00: TRY! Dewaldt Duvenage puts in a little grubber after the Stormers bulldoze the Rebels scrum. Dillyn Leyds chases and scores before the ball rolls over the dead-ball line. 22-6
46.00: CONVERSION! Willemse adds another two. 24-6
48.00: Leyds breaks a tackle, the Stormers recycle and win a penalty. Kolisi wants the points.
49.00: MISS! Willemse can’t extend the lead to 21 points. 24-6
53.00: TRY! Sefa Naivalu is put away with no defenders in front of him. The Rebels 16 phases, sucking in the Stormers defenders before releasing the winger on the touchline. 24-11
54.00: CONVERSION! Debreczeni adds the two points. 24-13
57.00: PENALTY! Willemse extends the Stormers’ lead. 27-13
59.00: The Stormers attack but give away a penalty inside their 22.
60.00: MISS! Debreczeni pushes his kick wide; that’s a bad miss at an important time in the match. 27-13
63.00: Brilliant work by Kolisi at the breakdown, winning the turnover and starting the counter-attack. Engelbrecht and Willemse tackle Naivalu into touch and have an attacking lineout.
64.00: Siyabonga Ntubeni throws skew, again. He really is terrible at throwing into the lineout.
67.00: The Stormers are pinged at the ruck.
70.00: Debreczeni misses his touch-finder but the visitors regain possession and are charging forward.
72.00: Time is running out for Dave Wessels’ men. They win a penalty after going 16 phases. Debreczeni kicks to the home team’s 22.
75.00: The Australians are camped inside the Stormers’ 22. It’s another multiphase play.
76.00: TRY! It’s a second, and carbon copy of Naivalu’s first. The Rebels went 17 phases, sucking in defenders before sending the winger away for his brace. 27-18
77.00: MISS! The conversion is wide. 27-18
80.00: Seabelo Senatla’s kick is out, but he was hit late. The TMO is checking for foul play. Marika Koroibete hit the sevens flyer late. Wait, it’s Engelbrecht who is pinged for a neck-roll. Penalty to the Rebels.
82.00: TRY! Engelbrecht at the double! Big scrum by the Stormers, they go wide, cutting through the Rebels defenders before the winger’s show-and-go opens up the gap and he runs in untouched. 32-18
83.00: CONVERSION! Willemse adds another conversion. 34-18
FULL-TIME.
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The final score: Stormers 34 (17) Rebels 18 (6)
Scorers
Stormers
Tries – De Allende, Engelbrecht (2), Leyds
Pen – Willemse (2)
Con – Willemse (4)
Drop –
Cards –
Rebels
Tries – Naivalu (2)
Pen – Debreczeni (2)
Con – Debreczeni
Drop –
Cards –
Match Officials
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant Ref 2: Rasta Rasivhenge
TMO: Christie du Preez
Teams
Stormers
15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 Craig Barry, 13 EW Viljoen, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Johannes Engelbrecht, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Kobus van Dyk, 6 Siyamthanda Kolisi (captain), 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Chris van Zyl, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Ramone Samuels, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 Jacobus Janse van Rensburg, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Sarel Marais, 23 Seabelo Senatla.
Melbourne Rebels
15 Reece Hodge, 14 Sefa Naivalu, 13 Tom English, 12 Billy Meakes, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Jack Debreczeni, 9 Michael Ruru, 8 Amanaki Mafi, 7 Angus Cottrell, 6 Lopeti Timani, 5 Adam Coleman (captain), 4 Matt Philip, 3 Jermaine Ainsley, 2 Anaru Rangi, 1 Tetera Faulkner.
Replacements: 16 Sama Malolo, 17 Fereti Sa’aga, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Geoff Parling, 20 Colby Fainga’a, 21 Harrison Goddard, 22 Tayler Adams, 23 Semisi Tupou.
