Stormers sink Sharks in thrilling coastal derby

MATCH REPORT: The Stormers bounced back in emphatic fashion, overcoming the Sharks 36-28 in a thrilling Carling Currie Cup coastal derby played in front of more than 14,000 spectators at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town.

The Stormers secured their second win of the campaign, outscoring Sharks five tries to four in a match that had plenty at stake.

The Stormers were looking to respond after suffering humbling 3-41 defeat to Boland, their biggest Currie Cup defeats in recent seasons, while the Sharks were eager to rebound after being outplayed by the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

The visitors made the perfect start. A brilliant offload from debutant Luan Gilliomee, created space for Lyle Matthews, who burst through the defensive line to score the opening try. Former Stormers flyhalf Tim Swiel added the conversion as the Sharks raced into a 7-0 lead after just five minutes.

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The Stormers responded almost immediately. After a series of powerful carries, hooker Vernon Paulo crashed over for his second try of the campaign. Kyle Smith converted to level the scores before the hosts began to dominate the contest.

The home side took control up front, earning back-to-back scrum penalties and building sustained pressure inside the Sharks’ half. Their dominance was rewarded in the 22nd minute when No.8 Wandile Mlaba powered over from close range. Smith added the conversion to hand the Stormers a 14-7 advantage.

The Sharks thought they had found an immediate response after catching the Stormers off guard, but Luaan Olivier’s effort was ruled out after he stepped into touch before grounding the ball.

Gilliomee continued to impress on debut. The Junior Springbok produced a sensational break, beating three defenders before putting Ross Braude into space for a converted try that brought the Sharks level once again.

The lead changed hands yet again as the Stormers responded almost instantly. Currie Cup debutant Marcus Miller announced himself in style, bursting through the defence for a well-taken try to restore the home side’s advantage at 19-14.

The Sharks had one final opportunity before half-time after earning a line-out with the clock in the red. They battered away at the Stormers’ defence through multiple phases, but Simphiwe Ngobese knocked the ball on over the line, allowing the hosts to head into the break with a five-point lead.

Smith stretched the Stormers’ advantage to 22-14 with an early penalty after the restart.

The Sharks believed they had narrowed the gap moments later after sustained pressure resulted in Hanu Pieterse crossing the whitewash, but the try was disallowed after Bryce Calvert was adjudged to have knocked the ball on in the build-up.

The visitors eventually found their breakthrough. Following a series of powerful forward carries, Phiwayinkosi “Rambo” Kubheka muscled his way over the line. Swiel’s conversion reduced the deficit to a single point and ensured the contest remained finely balanced.

As had been the pattern throughout the afternoon, the Stormers hit back immediately. Excellent interplay in midfield created the opening for Josh Boulle, who raced under the posts for a converted try to push the home side’s lead out to 29-21.

The decisive blow came from another dominant rolling maul, with Xola Nyali dotting down at the back. Smith produced an excellent conversion from a difficult angle to extend the lead to 36-21.

The Sharks refused to go away and secured a valuable bonus-point try when Bryce Calvert powered over from the back of a maul. Gilliomee, who was moved to flyhalf, added the conversion to keep the scoreboard respectable.

The Stormers looked set to finish with another flourish, but a late knock-on denied them a final score, much to the disappointment of the Cape Town crowd.

Ultimately, the home side did enough to claim their second victory of the campaign, while the Sharks were left to rue missed opportunities in an entertaining and fiercely contested coastal derby.

Player of the match:  There were a lot of talent on the field in both camps. For Sharks Luan Gilliomee showed his class, creating two tries and kicking a conversion. For Stormers, Markus Muller was in fine form, while Kyle Smith dictated play well. However, our nod goes Wandile Mlaba, who was solid in defence, while his strong carries were just as impressive. He also scored a try.

The scorers:

For Stormers
Tries: Paulo, Mlaba, Muller, Boulle, Nyali
Cons: Smith 4
Pen: Smith

For Sharks XV:
Tries: Matthews, Braude, Kubheka, Calvert
Cons: Swiel 3, Gilliomee

Stormers XXIII: 15 Dylan Miller, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Markus Muller, 12 Josh Boulle, 11 Mfundo Ndhlovu, 10 Kyle Smith, 9 Stefan Ungerer (captain), 8 Wandile Mlaba, 7 Louw Nel, 6 Keke Morabe, 5 Gary Porter, 4 Tom Barnard, 3 Herman Lubbe, 2 Vernon Paulo, 1 Hencus van Wyk.
Replacements: 16 Altus Rabe, 17 Mhleli Khuzwayo, 18 Danie Kruger, 19 Gerbrandt Grobler, 20 Xola Nyali, 21 Ezekiel Ngobeni, 22 Gino Cupido, 23 Kian Davis.

Sharks XV: 15 Luan Gilliomee, 14 Christie Grobbelaar, 13 Marnus Potgieter, 12 Janco Purchase, 11 Lyle Matthews, 10 Tim Swiel, 9 Ross Braude, 8 Thomas Dyer (captain), 7 Danio Botha, 6 Luaan Olivier, 5 Deon Slabbert, 4 Johan Momsen, 3 Simphiwe Ngobese, 2 Bryce Calvert, 1 Cameron Dawson.
Replacements: 16 Liam van Wyk, 17 Phiwayinkosi “Rambo” Kubheka, 18 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 19 Hanu Pieterse, 20 Jean-Henri Smit, 21 Juan Loots, 22 Albie Bester, 23 Khuthi Rasivhaga.

Referee: Dylen November