Stormers power past Reds
The Stormers registered their first win of the Super 14 season with an entertaining 34-16 bonus point victory over the Reds.
Last Updated: 08/03/08 12:26pm
The Stormers registered their first win of the Super 14 season with an entertaining 34-16 bonus point victory over the Reds at Lang Park.
After an evenly contested first-half the visitors eventually took control as tries from Luke Watson, Bolla Conradie and Tonderai Chavhanga took the game away from the Brisbane outfit.
Stormers No.10 Peter Grant converted all tries and added a score of his own to cancel out Chris Latham and Leroy Houston's efforts for the hosts.
In a scrappy first-half Grant and Latham exchanged tries as the visitors held a slender 10-8 lead at the interval.
Queensland fought back after the break and took a 16-13 lead when flanker Houston went over in the 56th minute after fly-half Berrick Barnes landed his second drop goal of the game.
Emphatic
However, the Stormers responded emphatically to finish the final quarter with a flourish.
Led by flanker Watson, the Stormers picked up their game and ran the Reds defence ragged with an expansive attacking game which saw them cross the line three times in the space of 20 minutes.
Watson, who was held up twice over the try-line in the first-half, backed up a break by the lively Schalk Brits to score in the 58th minute, before replacement scrum-half Conradie dived over in the corner soon after.
Winger Chavhanga sealed the bonus point with his side's fourth try in the final minute.
Fly-half Grant kicked immaculately with four conversions and two penalty goals from all his goal attempts and finished the match with 19 points.