VIDEO: 'Big hug' for Augustus after Fleck moment
REACTION: The Stormers No.8 Juarno Augustus has been urged to take the ‘good with the bad’ after his team’s 29-34 defeat to the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.
The Cape Town-based side came agonising close to stealing a famous win at the Kraal.
However, an Augustus knock-on shattered all those dreams.
With the full-time hooter already sounded and Stormers camped inside the Bulls’ 22, Augustus found some space in the Bulls defence to run in for a winning score. However, replays confirmed that the Stormers’ No.8 did not ground the ball, which gifted the Bulls the win.
Aside from the former World Rugby Under-20 Player of the Year’s uncharacteristic mistake, he delivered an overall good performance.
“I gave old ‘Trokkie’ [Augustus] a hug, and I told him you take the good with the bad, and you die with your boots on,” Stormers head coach of the week Labeeb Levy told reporters after the match.
“It’s not the first time it’s happened – it’s happened to Jeff Wilson, it’s happened to Robbie Fleck. It’s something I’m definitely going to remember when I sit as a 65 or 80-year-old around the fire, and just reminisce about what could have been – or what should have been.
“But I think it’s important for us as coaches to give him support, because he’s young, and he has also stepped up. And he had one of his better performances compared to previous matches.”
#⃣WATCH as @THESTORMERS No.8 Juarno Augustus commits the cardinal sin – losing the ball in the act of scoring a match-winning try
🤒The fine margins between winning and losing …😡#Rugby #PreparationSeries #BULvSTO
🔗https://t.co/Gy3Hn0KqkK pic.twitter.com/wUS0SnVwkP— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) March 20, 2021
The other talking point during the match was the penalty try, which proved to be the Bulls’ winning score.
With 10 minutes to go referee the Bulls were awarded a penalty try with Stormers’ centre Ruhan Nel deemed to have slapped down a Cornal Hendricks pass.
“The Bulls had the line-break, so it probably should’ve been converted into a try anyway.
“ However I don’t believe [Nel] put out his hand intentionally, but if he had caught it might have been a penalty try anyway because he would have been off-side.
“So I can’t really complain or debate the decision,”
When quizzed about the officials’ performance, Levy said: “I think the referee was good, he allowed both teams to play.
“But at this point, I can’t comment too much of the refs because I have to review the match,”
Stormers will host the Lions next weekend in their final Preparations Series fixtures.
