Jaguares edge bumbling Stormers
SUPER RUGBY REPORT: The Stormers’ chances of making the play-offs suffered a big blow when they went down 25-30 to the Jaguares in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
The Jaguares outscored their opponents by three tries to one in a game that was littered with errors throughout.
The Stormers’ only try came in the dying minutes after they relied on the boots of Jean-Luc du Plessis and Damian Willems to keep them in the game.
Despite having the dominant pack, the Stormers struggled to stamp their authority on the game and they were particularly poor with their execution on attack.
It was the home side who opened the scoring when captain Pablo Matera was put into space by Emiliano Boffelli inside the Stormers’ 22 to run in for his team’s first try in the fourth minute. Domingo Miotti stepped up to convert the score.
The Jaguares extended their lead to 10 points in the 11th minute with a Miotti penalty.
The Stormers finally got on the scoreboard in the 17th minute when flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis converted a penalty to reduce the deficit to seven points.
The Jaguares ill-discipline, especially at scrum time, was becoming a problem and Du Plessis was on target again in the 25th minute and in the 31st minute to make it a one-point ball game.
However, it was the home side who had the final say in the first half with a Miotti penalty to make it 13-9 to the Jaguares at half-time.
The Stormers continued where they left off in the first half by dominating the Jaguares’ scrum and that got them a penalty which Du Plessis converted in the 47th minute for the first points of the second half.
Not long after that the Jaguares showed what they are capable of with ball in hand and after some excellent handling in the Stormers’ half, Ramiro Moyano was put into space down the touchline to score his team’s second try of the game.
Miotti added the extras with the conversion and the Jaguares led 20-12 with just under 30 minutes left in the game.
The Stormers continued to rely on penalties for their points and with Du Plessis being replaced, it was Damian Willemse who stepped up to keep his team in the game with a three-pointer in the 59th minute.
A few minutes late Willemse stepped up to punish the Jaguares’ again by reducing the deficit to just two points with another penalty.
However, the Jaguares hit back with a penalty of their own via Miotti to restore their five-point lead with just 15 minutes left on the clock.
The Stormers then suffered a huge blow in the 72nd minute when the Jaguares were awarded a penalty try after a deliberate knockdown by JJ Engelbrecht prevented a try being scored.
The midfielder was also given a yellow card for the offence.
However, there was still time on the clock for the Cape side and they got back into the game when Seabelo Senatla scored his team first try with five minutes left on the clock.
The Stormers had one last opportunity to win the game with a line-out near the Jaguares’ tryline in overtime and the Jaguares were also a man down after Matera was shown a yellow card in the previous play.
However, the visitors butchered the throw-in which allowed the Jaguares to kick the ball out and end the game for the win.
Man of the match: Despite getting a yellow card at the end of the game, Jaguares captain Pablo Matera was outstanding during the 80 minutes and he scored his team’s first try.
The scorers:
For Jaguares:
Tries: Matera, Moyana, Penalty Try
Cons: Miotti 2
Pens: Miotti 3
For Stormers:
Try: Senatla
Con: Willemse
Pens: Du Plessis 4, Willemse 2
Yellow cards: JJ Engelbrecht (Stormers, 72 – cynical play, deliberate knock down); Pablo Matera (Jaguares, 80 – cynical play, playing the ball on the ground)
Teams:
Jaguares: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Matias Moroni, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Domingo Miotti, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Tomas Lezana, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti Pagadizaval, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro.
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Lucio Sordoni, 19 Rodrigo Bruni, 20 Javier Ortega Desio, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, 23 Sebastian Cancelliere.
Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Johannes Engelbrecht, 12 Dan Kriel, 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Kobus van Dyk, 7 Cobus Wiese, 6 Jaco Coetzee , 5 John Schickerling, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Johan du Toit, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Justin Phillips, 22 Damian de Allende, 23 Seabelo Senatla.
Referee: AJ Jacobs (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: Santiago Borsani (Argentina)
