The 1st of 2 games on South African soil today sees the visiting Western Force take on the Stormers.
Western Force coach Richard Graham has been blowing some smoke up the Stormers’ backsides this week telling the press that the Stormers have the best defence in the competition. He doesn’t mention that they also have the worst scoring rate in the competition. Mind games bore me. 
In fact these two teams are the bottom teams on the try scoring list for the season. It should be interesting, I said interesting NOT exciting, to see how this unfolds.
Ref: Pro Legoete (South Africa)
ARs: Mark Lawrence (South Africa), Christie du Preez (South Africa)
Venue: Newlands – Cape town
Kick-off: 15:00 RSA Time
Stormers: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Danie Poolman, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Pieter Louw, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 De Kock Steenkamp, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Replacements: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Anton van Zyl, 19 Nick Koster, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Lionel Cronjé, 22 Juan De Jongh.
Western Force: 15 Cameron Shepherd, 14 Alfie Mafi, 13 Nick Cummins, 12 Gene Fairbanks, 11 David Smith, 10 James O’Connor, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Matt Hodgson, 6 Richard Brown, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Tim Fairbrother, 2 Ben Whittaker, 1 Pek Cowan.
Replacements: 16 Nathan Charles, 17 Kieran Longbottom, 18 Tom Hockings, 19 Tevita Metuisela, 20 James Stannard, 21 Matt Brandon, 22 Pat Dellit.
Chips…check
Biltong…check
Brandy…check
Ready for kick-off
Peter Grant gets the game underway and emediate regather by stormers. Lets see if they can actually score a try…
Looks like they can. Try Stormer’s. Grant makes the conversion from touch and its 7 -0.
Try jaque Fourie!
O’Conner puts 3 on the board for a high tackle.
Stormer’s gets a line out 5 meters from force line.. Drives over but held up/Short. Penalty though for collapsing the maul.
Peter Louw is off with an ankle injury as the Stormer’s take another lineout
TRY as they drive over the line. Good for you Deon Fourie
O’Conner dives over the white stuff for 5. What a talent as he steos through the front row guys. 14 – 8 for Stormer’s with the kick to come.
This is definetly better rugby than this morning
Force off side as Grant puts another 3 on the board. 17 – 10 for Stormers
17-10 storms
OC penalty- 17-13
O’Conner puts another 3 on the board for bad scrumming…17 – 13
3rd try of storms
Grant slots the convertion 24-13
Grant converts and its 24 – 13 for the stormers
Unbelievable…I thought when you punch someone you get an emmediate yellow? The stormers gets another 3 though for the infringement.
I see punching is still allowed.
IRB sure kept that law change quiet.
@Viking (Comment 18) : Apparently not if you’re a kiwi/aussie punching a seff effrican.
Half time 27-16 storms
HALF TIME…O’Conner gets another 3 and the score is 27 – 16.
Must say Habana has been very impressive so far. He has not knocked the ball YET and has not conceded a try YET…
@Viking (Comment 23) : HE missed the 2nd tackle on O’connor!!!!!!! How can you say he hasn’t conceded a try?
Amateur Legoete is not only below par for this level, he is biased as well.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 24) : My mistake…Habana has had an above average game on his standards as he only conceded 1 try SO FAR…
@McLovin (Comment 19) : @McLovin (Comment 20) :
Don’t blame ANYONE other than the Ref and his AR.
@Viking (Comment 26) :
What a try by the Hooker Fourie. He Stepped, He Chiped, He regathered. UNBELIEVABLE…
afternoon all
well lets see who will win this one
as long as its SA durbies that win i don’t care
got 2/4 so far
Storms by 6 it looks like i must of gone with like 25 +
Grant converts 34 – 16 Stormers
Storms 34
Force 16
43 min
@KSA Shark © (Comment 27) : AND he just missed the forward pass to Fourie.
There,s a bana-knock….after the wistle
@franshark (Comment 34) : and again
I think it suits our purposes for the Stormers to record a big, morale-boosting win just ahead of their game against us… One that really gets the papers writing them up.
@robdylan (Comment 36) : Since when is a big win a requiement for the papers to write them up? They were doing it before the 1st warm up game was even played.
@franshark (Comment 35) : Not sure what that was from Habana but it seems like he passed the ball to the touch judge…
Nice chip Habana…Straight down the throught of the force.
@robdylan (Comment 36) : agree and then lets just hope their heads are full of it and then they let their guards down and we take the victory for ourself that one durbie is going to be a bit of a hard one after a good tour we had lets just hope we win the Saders and then we would have lost only once on tour
Try Fourie
Jaque Fourie straightens and dives over for T5. Great play from Jead de Villiers to set it up.
i think its time the fORCE start to do their thing (only)for SB predictions,
but i just don’t that is going to happen
Man… I wanted to put Fourie in my starting 15 on fl
HAHAHA…I do not mean to be so hard on Habana but it really seems as if he cannot get it right. Gives away another soft penalty…
Super defence from the Stormers.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 37) : Remind us again how many games have the Stormers lost so far this season?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 27) : Don’t worry, I do. And the citing commish.
I’m glad the commentators not making to much fuss about haba, don’t want storms to replace him before they play us… He is the force’s best player
@robdylan (Comment 36) : It might, but we can’t rely on them being overconfident. The Sharks need to look after their own game first.
There goes another Louw, this time only for 10 minutes. Maybe that’s the reason why he does not make the Springbok squad anymore
@McLovin (Comment 48) : yes we know you do but the final is still to cme and if i look at us we might just be up there in the finals who knows
Stormers won’t be over confident at all next week. No matter what ‘the papers’ write.
Must say that Jean de Villiers is having a great game. so is Aplon.
come on Force you can do this gee get up with the points please
Stormers still defending fantastically well with just 14 men on the field.
@McLovin (Comment 56) : Not so much defence as lack of proper attack. All has lost interest including those on the field.
@Viking (Comment 57) : I see the Force trying quite hard, especially o’connor, to break the line. With little success. With 15 against 14 to boot.
Try for bekker…
Has Grant missed a kick today?
Well played Stormers, dominant performance.
@McLovin (Comment 58) : Trying and doing are two different things. Force are tired and their play is one dimensional with a lot of handling errors.
2nd Half totally dominated by the Stormers.
24-0
Well done Storm you were all great good work
5 Points for the Stormers. Well done…
@McLovin (Comment 60) : Must say Well done stormers
that gives me 3/6 so far
@Viking (Comment 62) : They are made to look tired and one dimensional, and forced into errors, by the aggressive defence from the Stormers.
@franshark (Comment 66) : Thanks.
Next week might see their unbeaten run come to an end I fear.
now for the next one the one that seems to be in the line for a lamb or so if you get it right now which will be watching and who will be outside with the spit
@McLovin (Comment 69) : Well I hope so
@McLovin (Comment 69) :
SSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKSSSS
Perfect result this.
5 log points and a handy points difference.
@chaz (Comment 72) :
@McLovin (Comment 73) : well done – that was a big result for you guys
WP jou lekker ding…See you guys on the next thread…
@robdylan (Comment 75) : Thanks. So far so good. Certainly exceeding my expectations.
But as we know, things can change very quickly.
@robdylan (Comment 75) : Should go some way to making a loss next week slightly less painfull log wise.
Well done Stormers!!!
what happened to the cwc thread gee now that we are out no updates
Well done to all the stormers and stormsamers!
These guys will be a handful next week, Eddie Jones worked with them last week and there’s already a difference, their running now has direction. We’ll need to dominate them physically at the collision points and bring lots of intensity. Many teams think they can win a loose game against the Stormers, good luck to those teams..just ask the Force how well that strategy works.
Well done to my team! I fear we may lose to the CC Champs next wkend. The Sharks are definitely the favourites!
@wpw (Comment 83) : you got that right, the SHARKSSS are the favourites boy!
@Megatron (Comment 84) : I RRRRREALLY hope your cuzzie makes the Sharks side in the future. I am going to love having you on our side.
@wpw (Comment 83) : For sure.
Apparently tickets are still available for the Twickenham match today.
Sevens finals x 4 coming up.
Shield Final
Kenya v Spain
Draw
Sudden death
Kenya take it.
@McLovin (Comment 90) : Well done to your Stormers mate. Never saw the game but it must have been a good one.
To all the Stormers supporters here well done to your team.
@Puma (Comment 92) : Good result thanks.
They get a B+ from me.
Bowl Final
Japan v Canada
@McLovin (Comment 93) : B+ is that all? Thought with a score like that it would be A+
Were you live mate? The UK?
@Puma (Comment 95) : They gave the Force too many chances to score in the first half. And the Force aren’t exactly a force.
Yip, sunny England.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 85) : on ‘your side’? Hehehe keep wishing
@McLovin (Comment 96) : So why are you not going to the Sharks game? Or are you?
Canada take the bowl.
33 – 12
@Puma (Comment 98) : Not possible today unfortunately. Otherwise occupied.
If it was yesterday I would have been there for sure.
Shield Final
Boks v Aus
Sithole scores.
Aus score
SA 5 – 7 Aus
Afrika scores.
SA 12 – 7 Aus
Du Preez scores.
HALF TIME
SA 19 – 7 Aus
Aus score their 2nd.
19-14
Sithole scores his 2nd.
26 – 14
Aus score their 3rd.
26 – 19
SA win the Plate.
26 – 19
@McLovin (Comment 115) : Yebo…hehe. Just watched the 2nd half.
Sharks should get their cheque book out and give Sithole (spelling) a contract…
@Puma (Comment 116) : he already HAS a junior contract with the Sharks.
@Megatron (Comment 117) :
For someone whi dislikes the Sharks so much, you certainly follow their junior players pretty closely.
How’s this comment from 365.
Stormers cementing their top stop…with a game in hand as well! Legota had an OK game as well.. Joe van Rugby
Not the Sharpest tool in the shed this Joe character.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 118) : when you keep poaching them from my backyard what am i supposed to do?
sbura is family to top it all…
@Megatron (Comment 120) :
I KNOW that is why I am giving you a hard time about it.