Stormers stay in the hunt
The Stormers remain in the hunt for the play-offs after a 20-10 victory over the ACT Brumbies in Cape Town.
Last Updated: 03/05/08 7:08pm
The Stormers remain in the hunt for the play-offs after a 20-10 victory over the ACT Brumbies in Cape Town.
The Cape side scored all their points in the first half but were forced to hold on in an error-strewn second half.
Victory was enough to move the South Africans into fourth place with only two rounds of the competition left.
It was classic Stormers running play to open the scoring, as Gcobani Bobo made a telling break up the middle, drew the fullback and then let it fly to captain Jean de Villiers who ran in untouched for the opening try. Peter Grant converted for an early 7-0 lead.
Eight minutes later, the Stormers caught the Brumbies offside, and Grant extended the lead with a penalty within the 22-metre area.
A cross kick from the Brumbies was plucked out of the air by De Villiers, who set off down the touchline on his way to the tryline with Bobo on his side.
Penalty try
At the crucial point to offload, Bobo was tackled early by Christian Lealiifano which left referee Steve Walsh with no option but to award a penalty try. Grant converted to make the score 17-0.
Just before the break, another offside call against the Brumbies gave the Stormers a 20-0 lead at the half.
A strong blind side attack from the Brumbies went to Tyrone Smith, who brushed off three tackles before letting Adam Ashley-Cooper run in for an easy try as the visitors hinted at a comeback.
The Brumbies pressed, but some strong Stormers defence stopped them on every occasion and all the visitors could manage was a close range try form Peter Kimlin.
The Stormers tried their best in the dying moments to chase the bonus point that could be crucial in a congested top of the table, but in the end had to be happy with the win.
