Stormers edge willing Force

The Stormers ended the Australian leg of their tour unbeaten when they edged a willing Western Force 13-6 in Perth on Saturday.

After losing both their encounters in New Zealand, the Stormers bounced back to beat the defending champion Waratahs last week and then followed up with a victory against the Force.

It was a crucial win that propelled them to the top of the South African conference and a top-three spot on the overall standings.

The Stormers took their record to six victories from nine games, while the Force have just one win – having lost their last eight matches, many by narrow margins.

Overcoming a determined Force team, aided by some liberal applications of the laws, the Stormers outscored the home team by one try to none.

The first scoring opportunity came straight from the first kick-off – the Force failing to control the kick, the Stormers taking it through a few phases before the Force were penalised for offside. From close range Demetri Catrakilis made it 3-0.

From the restart the Force were awarded a penalty, which was questionable at best. Luke Burton wasted no time to level the scores – 3-all.

However, the Stormers hardly broke a sweat for their next score – a powerful scrum under the uprights, after a penalty for some cynical play by the Force, and the visitors shoved the home team's pack back at a rate of knots. When the Force went down in a heap the referee had no hesitation to award the penalty try. Catrakilis made it 10-3 with the conversion.

For the next 20 minutes, with the aid of some strange calls by the match officials, the Force managed to turn the game into a scrap-fest.

A scrum penalty against the Stormers in the 36th minute allowed Burton to narrow the gap to 6-10.

More questionable officiating allowed the Force to hang on till half-time, despite a huge surge upfield by Nizaam Carr – with at least three penalisable actions by the Force just metres from their tryline going unpunished.

Early in the second half the Force managed to put some good phases together, which culminated in a penalty. However, Burton's attempt bounced off the upright. Despite winning a scrum feed close to the Stormers line, the Force turned the ball over twice and the visitors could clear their lines.

The Force managed to pin the Stormers in their half, making judicial use of the boot and then taking the ball through phases once they started getting near the Stormers 22.

However, the visitors' famed defence kicked in and they managed to hold out a Force team clearly playing to a different set of rules.

Five minutes from time the Force were reduced to 14 men, centre Luke Burton yellow-carded for a cynical offence – killing an almost certain Stormers try by going offside.

Kurt Coleman slotted the penalty to make it 13-6 – the only points of the second half.

The Force launched a strong late raid, but the Stormers again repelled them and held on for a crucial win – making it two from four on their Australasian tour.

Man of the match: Dane Haylett-Petty scrambled well on defence and saved his team on a number of occasions. Ben McCalman was a workhorse that managed to provide some spark for the home team. Cheslin Kolbe was a ball of energy and Damian de Allende took another step closer to Springbok selection. However, our award foes to Stormers and Springbok loose forward Schalk Burger. he is still a fine physical specimen, but showed he is not just a brute – delivering some sublime touches and an amazing workrate.

Scorers:

For the Western Force:

Pens: Burton 2

For the Stormers:

Try: Penalty try

Con: Catrakilis

Pens: Catrakilis, Coleman

Yellow card: Luke Burton (Western Force, 75 – cynical infringement, offside)

Teams:

Western Force: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Kyle Godwin, 12 Luke Burton, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Chris Alcock, 6 Steve Mafi, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Sam Wykes (captain), 3 Tetera Faulkner, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pekahou Cowan.

Replacements: 16 Heath Tessmann, 17 Chris Heiberg, 18 Oliver Hoskins, 19 Ross Haylett-Petty, 20 Angus Cottrell, 21 Ian Prior, 22 Zack Holmes, 23 Marcel Brache.

Stormers: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Juan de Jongh (captain), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff.

Replacements: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 Alistair Vermaak, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Nic Groom, 22 Kurt Coleman, 23 Huw Jones.

Referee: Mike Fraser

Assistant referees: Andrew Lees, Will Houston

TMO: Ian Smith