The Waratahs secured their fourth win of the Super Rugby season when they came from behind to beat the Stormers 30-32 at Newlands in Cape Town.
The Stormers played the final 24 minutes of the match with 14 players after Leolin Zas was red carded for an in the air challenge on Bernard Foley.
The result means that the Waratahs have won back to back wins in Cape Town as they beat the Stormers 11-22 in April 2014.
The Waratahs beat the Force in Perth last week which makes this the first time they have earned back to back wins since June 2015.
The loss is the Stormers third from nine matches and their second at home in Cape Town.
Waratahs captain Michael Hooper was named man of the match after he scored the final try which with the conversion put the Waratahs into the lead at the end.
The Africa 1 Conference-leading Stormers were full of running from the kick-off and while the Waratahs were forced into a defensive role they conceded two penalties.
However, there was an early let-off for the Australian visitors as the Stormers place-kicker Jean-Luc du Plessis missed two penalties in opening four minutes.
Once the Waratahs transferred play to the other half of the field they made a telling foray into the Stormers’ 22-metre area where lock Will Skelton intervened with a deft touch in a backline move which led to an 8th-minute try by inside centre Kurtley Beale.
Bernard Foley missed the conversion but the Waratahs were leading 0-5.
The Stormers’ response was swift and six minutes later they crossed the whitewash at the other end with No 8 Schalk Burger scoring the home side’s opening try.
It was a superb finish to penetrative sweep downfield as forwards and backs dovetailed splendidly before scrumhalf Nic Groom handed Burger an inside scoring pass in front of the posts. This time, Du Plessis was on target from the kicking tee and the Stormers went into the lead.
It was much the same in the passage of play that followed and the Waratahs defence was made to work overtime but the pressure took its toll again in the 23rd minute when lock Pieter-Steph du Toit crashed over after fullback Cheslin Kolbe featured prominently in the build-up work.
Du Plessis rifled the conversion through the uprights for the additional points.
The Stormers came close on two more occasions soon afterwards but Waratahs held out to deny the Stormers further first-half points.
Three minutes ahead of the halftime break, Waratahs outside centre Israel Folau streaked through a gap in the Stormers midfield defence and Foley was on target with what was his third place-kick on the night to bring the Waratahs within two points.
At half time the Stormers lead 14-12 but it was slim pickings for the Stormers considering they enjoyed a whopping 73% of first-half possession.
At the start of the second half, the men from Sydney made an impressive start which was highlighted by a line break by eighthman Jed Holloway but the Stormers averted danger with a Damian de Allende turn-over in his 22-metre area.
In the 45th minute Du Plessis extended the Stormers’ lead with a penalty (17-12) but moments later Foley restored the two-point deficit with a penalty to make the score 17-15.
The penalty trading continued when Beale high-tackled Stormers loosie Sikhumbuzo Notshe and then soon afterwards the latter was penalised at breakdown play. Du Plessis and Foley each goaled their attempts.
There was a possible game-changing moment in the 56th minute when New Zealand referee Mike Fraser gave Stormers winger Leolin Zas his marching orders after he upended Foley as they both tried to catch a high ball.
Zas slipped in his effort causing Foley to fall dangerously as he landed on his head and shoulders.
Just past the hour mark Du Plessis landed a third penalty to open up a five-point lead for the 14-man Stormers.
The Waratahs made their numerical advantage count when they exploited a defence weakness out wide where leftwing Rob Horne produced a clinical finish before to romped to score under the posts. Foley’s conversion gave the Aussie visitors a 25-23 lead with 12 minutes playing time left.
There was one last hurrah fro the Newlands faithful when the Stormers kept a 15-phase play going for all 45 metres out before Du Toit steamrolled his way through a loose scrum to score under the posts. Du Plessis’ conversion took the scoreline out to 30-25.
With two minutes playing time left, the Aussie visitors clinched the encounter with a converted try by their captain Michael Hooper in what was their first match outside Australia this season.
The Stormers have a bye next week in Round 11 and the Waratahs play the Cheetahs at home in Sydney.
Final Score Stormers 30 (14) Waratahs 32 (12)
Scorers
Stormers
Tries – S,Burger, P. Du Toit 2
Pen – JL.Du Plessis 3
Con – JL.Du Plessis 3
Drop –
Cards -L. Zas (56th min red card)
Waratahs
Tries – K.Beale, I.Folau, R.Horne, M.Hooper
Pen – B.Foley 2
Con – B.Foley 3
Drop –
Cards –
Match Officials
Referee: Mike Fraser
Assistant Ref 1:Paul Williams
Assistant Ref 2:Cwengile Jadezweni
TMO :Shaun Veldsman
Teams
Stormers
15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Juan de Jongh (co-captain), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Schalk Burger, 7 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 6 Nizaam Carr, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Rynhardt Elstadt, 3 Frans Malherbe (co-captain), 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Huw Jones, 23 .Brandon Thomson
Waratahs
1. Paddy Ryan , 2. Hugh Roach , 3. Tom Robertson , 4. David Dennis (vc), 5. Will Skelton , 6. Dean Mumm , 7. Michael Hooper (C), 8. Jed Holloway , 9. Nick Phipps , 10. Bernard Foley , 11. Rob Horne , 12. Kurtley Beale , 13. Israel Folau , 14. Reece Robinson , 15. Andrew Kellaway
Replacements :16. Tatafu Polota-Nau , 17. Jeremy Tilse , 18. Angus Ta’avao , 19. Sam Lousi , 20. Wycliff Palu , 21. Matt Lucas , 22. David Horwitz , 23. Matt Carraro
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