It’s to Hamilton we go as the Stormers seek the second win of their young campaign.
Allister Coetzee’s men fell at the final hurdle against the Crusaders. Will the occasion of captain Jean de Villiers’ 100th Super Rugby game spur them on to a famous victory?
Kick-off is at 08h35 SA time.
Chiefs: 15 Gareth Anscombe, 14 Tim Nanai-Williams, 13 Charlie Ngatai, 12 Tom Marshall, 11 James Lowe, 10 Aaron Cruden (captain), 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Liam Squire, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Matt Symons, 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Jamie Mackintosh.
Replacements: 16 Rhys Marshall, 17 Pauliasi Manu, 18 Josh Hohneck, 19 Michael Fitzgerald, 20 Tevita Koloamatangi, 21 Brad Webber, 22 Robbie Fruean, 23 Asaeli Tikoirotuma.
DHL Stormers: 15 Jaco Taute, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Jean de Villiers (captain), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Gio Aplon, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Ruan Botha, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Stephan Coetzee, 17 Oliver Kebble, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Siya Kolisi, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Peter Grant, 23 Sailosi Tagicakibau.
Tweet
Chiefs by 3
Saders by 2
10-3 to the Chiefs after 20
Man that Stormers jersey is a thing of pure ugly.
kiwis level the score:
Dubious TMO decisions – SA 1
NZ 1
Match Report so far:
17-6 to the Chiefs.
Well, it’s half time and the Stormers will be farken livid that the Chiefs have managed to score two tries. It must be said that both tries were bloody contentious with marginal forward passes and dubious ‘knock backs’ playing their part in both. The Chiefs are trying to play basketball, clearly not respecting their opposition. But the Stormers musn’t get sucked into this. If they can keep the game structured and Catrakellis can keep the scoreboard ticking over, then there’s no need for panic. All I can say, is that if this is the kind of rugby the Chiefs are dishing up then they’re going to get klapped by the likes of the Waratahs. All in all, helter-skelter stuff and not even that pretty to watch.
@The Great Couch Shark (Comment 5) : Reflects very poorly on the streamers’ ability to counter attack, with the opposition team dropping the ball more times than they catch it, without the streamers even getting their hands on the ball.
In an article by Brendon Venter on SS, he found that most tries by top teams are scored with turn over ball and on counter attack. If you can’t counter, you can’t score tries.
Streamers can’t score tries.
Chiefs 24 – 6 streamers
@FireTheLooser (Comment 6) : Yes, 24-6 it is.
Stormers simply have to learn to put points on the board. Commentator says the Chiefs have the more structured attack (what a laugh). Anyway, fortune favours the bold, and the Chiefs are an adventurous team that like throwing the ball around.
Peter Grant must start next week. The Stormers need a flyhalf that can attack the advantage line and get their centres into space. Feel sorry for Jean De Villers. He is a world class player, but the guys around him don’t know how to work the ball into space.
@The Great Couch Shark (Comment 7) : Structured attack, I don’t think so.
But the Chiefs are able to play touch-rugby against the streamers, because the streamers are devoid of the ability to do anything without the game being reset to a scrum, lineout or kick-off.
No amount of mistakes by the Chiefs will cost them, other than when they give away penalties in their own-half (as if the streamers are able to get into their half).
Last week did not indicate any improvement in the streamers game, but rather showed how poor the ‘Saders are at the early stages of the season.
@The Great Couch Shark (Comment 7) : Maybe they phrased it that way because the Stormers dont have an attack.
Try Gio Aplon
Yep there you go, “attacking” Stormers lineout in Chiefs 22 ends up 5 meters from the Stormers tryline.
@vanmartin (Comment 11) : Are you playing with your playstation.
And the Stormers score a nice try thru Gio Aplon. See, what happens when you can work your speedy player into space?! Set piece move and Grant attacked the line flat, spread the ball out to Gio in space. Try time.
Chiefs 24 – 13 Stoners
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 13) : ❓ (I don’t follow)
Stormers are 11 points adrift with the last quarter to go. Honestly, they musn’t panic now. A converted try and a penalty/drop goal is more than possible.
Kolisi on for Fourie
@vanmartin (Comment 11) : 😯 You soothsayer.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 19) : Your feed is probably delayed. I’m following on the Ultimate Rugby Android app.
Nizaam Carr try.
7 minutes left to play.
cmon Stormers! 24-20
Chiefs 24 – 20 Stoners
@robdylan (Comment 23) : No! I can’t afford to lose another LMS lifeline 😈
5 odd minutes left to play
@vanmartin (Comment 20) : Yep that must be it, In my world Carr has’nt scored yet.
Tevita scores
31 – 20 to the Chiefs
3 minutes left
@vanmartin (Comment 25) : If I hadnt already chosen the Chiefs I would have for this game. I went with a bye in the end.
Chiefs get another TMO try. 🙄
They can thank modern technology for this win…
Tanerau try
Chiefs 36 – 20 Stoners
Another valiant display by the Stormers but honestly, how can they expect to win when they only attacked for 20 minutes of the game?
And finally Carr scores, man Im way behind here.
And that’s all she wrote folks. Full time.
5 Rounds and I still havent lost a even a lifeline. Thats a new record for me 😛
good grief, Supersport streaming serioulsy delayed!
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 36) : Apologies for the spoilers in that case
Those last two tries by the Chiefs kinda sullied the Stormer’s nice comeback.
Sounds like a great game to have watched.
Come on, the streamers weren’t ever really in the game.
They’ll probably pull an Ackerman and write a letter to Lyndon Bray to clarify the rules of the game.
Though the one TMO call that I saw was utter rubbish. But you can’t play an entire game in your own half and expect to come away with a win.
The team playing for 65mins. will always beat the team playing for only 15 minutes.
@The Great Couch Shark (Comment 35) : No but MOAR defences!!
@Son Of Mayhem (Comment 38) : Not a single Stormers pick in this week’s round so everyone’s still safe at this stage. The 12 that picked the Chiefs can now rest easy.
@Seth101 (Comment 44) :
@vanmartin (Comment 40) : Ha, ha no problem. I thought you were stirring the pot when out of nowhere you mentioned that Aplon scored right in the middle of a conversation about how the Stormers have no form of attack.
😛 Im still in thge 72nd minute…. 🙄
This game proved the following…pace and skill beats brawn every time. They tried tackling and muscling it all game, and 2 moves with pace and width results in two tries. That simple…
Duane Vermeulen is a great player, but plays like a blindside, so play him there. Nizaam Carr showed in 15 min (or however long he was on) what an attacking linking man can do for an attack.
Problem is that the Stormers need to make a bold decision on their loose trio balance….one that I know they don’t have the balls to make. All of Kolisi, Burger, Vermeulen, Carr and Fourie are talented and quality players…cant select them all though.
They need something more like this:
6. Kolisi/Fourie
7. Burger/Vermeulen
8. Carr
And since Im all about pace and skill levels, mine would look like this.
2. Fourie
6. Kolisi
7. Burger (under proper coaching exhibits exceptional ball skills)
8. Carr
And Grant offers far more than Catrakilis…another solid player, but South Africa has far too many ‘solid’ players.
And all the hype on De Allende is certainly NOT WARRANTED!!!
@vanmartin (Comment 45) : Wow, even my cursed LMS pick of failure couldn’t save the Stormers. 😯
I’m trying to look for positives form this game, but all-in-all, the Stormers were pretty shoddy to let in two late tries right at the end.
They had a good period of sustained attack during the last quarter, and as I suspected it was mainly down to Peter Grant running the backline a million times better than Catrakillis. He simply must start this week. Vermuelen has been pretty pedestrian of late, and De Allende offers no playmaking skills at 12. Like I said the other day Stormers are missing Juan De Jongh big time.
With their season seemingly over, AC must do right by bok rugby and rest De Villiers for the rest of the season, when De Jongh returns. He must pick him at 12 – it’s no con-incidence that both Fourie and Sadie had their best SR seasons playing outside De Jongh, and De Allende at 13 (big, strong, fast and not so subtle).
@The Great Couch Shark (Comment 52) : We simply do not have (or won’t pick) playmakers at 12. We prefer big 12’s that take the ball up which in combination with a 10 that doesn’t attack the advantage line and re-treaded wings at 13 (in the search for pace) who lack the distribution skills necessary in that position makes most of our teams predictable and consequently easy to defend against.