Courageous DHL Stormers outmuscle Blues – Vodacom Super Rugby Round 5 Roundup
- Emirates Lions survive Sunwolves scare in Johannesburg
The DHL Stormers shrugged off their illness and injury problems to overpower the visiting Blues 37-20 for a superb Vodacom Super Rugby victory at DHL Newlands on Saturday afternoon, with 19-year old flyhalf Damian Willemse playing a key role.
The Emirates Lions just managed to edge the Sunwolves 40-38 in their match in Johannesburg, while the Vodacom Bulls and the Cell C Sharks both suffered defeats in their away fixtures abroad. The Pretoria outfit went down 41-28 in Hamilton against the Chiefs despite a bright start to the match while the Durban side lost 24-17 to the Brumbies in Canberra.
Siya Kolisi and his team showed little ill-effects of their problems as they raced into a 24-3 halftime lead in bright sunshine in Newlands. Centre EW Viljoen scored two of their four tries while young flyhalf Willemse was in good kicking form and slotted four conversions and three penalties.
The Emirates Lions certainly did not have it their own way in their late afternoon fixture against a much-improved Sunwolves. The Highvelders enjoyed a slender 19-17 halftime lead while the Japanese visitors briefly took the lead in the second half. Thankfully for the home supporters their team did just managed to snatch the winning points close to the end.
The Cell C Sharks was the first local team in action on Saturday and unfortunately for them they started their overseas leg with a 24-17 reverse against the Brumbies in Canberra. Both sides scored two tries but the Durbanites conceded four penalties and they were also unable to take advantage of the Brumbies’ two yellow cards.
They now travel to Melbourne for next weekend’s meeting with the Rebels.
Thanks to a bright start, the Vodacom Bulls had a famous win in sight against the Chiefs in Hamilton as they raced into an impressive 28-14 interval lead. They however lost their composure in the second half to lose the match 41-28.
A disallowed try and yellow card to replacement prop Conraad van Vuuren 12 minutes before the end allowed the Chiefs to race back and snatch victory away from John Mitchell’s team. The Vodacom Bulls’ next away fixture is this coming Friday in Christchurch against the Crusaders.
In the last SA Conference match played late Saturday night (SA time) in Buenos Aires the Reds defeated the Jaguares 18-7 after leading 11-7 in this physical battle. The Waratahs rallied from a 20-3 deficit to thump the Rebels 51-27 in their Sunday morning clash in the sweltering Sydney heat.
The Emirates Lions are leading the South African Conference by ten points. They have 19 points from five matches and are followed by the DHL Stormers and Cell C Sharks on 9 points each.
Emirates Lions 40, Sunwolves 38
Scorers
Emirates Lions 48 – tries: Andries Coetzee, Lourens Erasmus, Malcolm Marx (2), Aphiwe Dyantyi, Rohan Janse van Rensburg; Conversions: Elton Jantjies (5).
Sunwolves 38 – tries: Kotaro Matsushima, Craig Millar, Hosea Saumaki, Kazuki Himeno, Atsushi Sakate; Conversions: William Tupou (3), Ryoto Nakamura (2); Penalties: Tupou (1).
DHL Stormers 37, Blues 20
Scorers:
DHL Stormers 37 – Tries: EW Viljoen 2, Raymond Rhule and Dewaldt Duvenage; Conversions: Damian Willemse (4); Penalties: Damian Willemse (3).
Blues 20 – Tries: Akira Ioane, Michael Collins and Rieko Ioane; Conversion: Stephen Perofeta; Penalty: Bryn Gatland.
Brumbies 24, Cell C Sharks 17
Scores:
Brumbies 24 – Tries: Lausii Taliauli and Henry Speight; Conversion: Whanerui Hawera; Penalties: Whanerui Hawera (4).
Cell C Sharks 17 – Tries: Thomas du Toit and Curwin Bosch; Conversions: Robert du Preez (2); Penalty: Du Preez.
Scorers:
Chiefs 41, Vodacom Bulls 28
Chiefs 41 – Tries: Johnny Fa’auli, Brodie Retallick (2), Mitchell Brown, Solomon Alaimalo, Anton Lienert-Brown; Conversions: Damian McKenzie (4); Penalty: McKenzie.
Vodacom Bulls 28 – Tries: Warrick Gelant, Divan Rossouw (2), Handre Pollard; Conversions: Handre Pollard (4).
Other Round 5 results of the weekend:
Saturday, 17 March:
Highlanders 25, Crusaders 17
Jaguares 18, Reds 7
Sunday, 18 March:
Waratahs 51, Rebels 27
Bye: Hurricanes
The latest Vodacom Super Rugby logs are:
Australian Conference
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Rebels | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 142 | 97 | 45 | 15 |
| 2 | Reds | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75 | 76 | -1 | 12 |
| 3 | Waratahs | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 137 | 116 | 21 | 10 |
| 4 | Brumbies | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 76 | 93 | -17 | 8 |
| 5 | Sunwolves | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 102 | 159 | -57 | 2 |
New Zealand Conference
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Highlanders | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 66 | 33 | 13 |
| 2 | Hurricanes | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 82 | 49 | 33 | 10 |
| 3 | Crusaders | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 126 | 105 | 21 | 10 |
| 4 | Chiefs | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 91 | 94 | -3 | 8 |
| 5 | Blues | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 113 | 140 | -27 | 6 |
South African Conference
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Emirates Lions | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 197 | 157 | 40 | 19 |
| 2 | DHL Stormers | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 135 | 152 | -17 | 9 |
| 3 | Cell C Sharks | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 110 | 96 | 14 | 9 |
| 4 | Vodacom Bulls | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 98 | 129 | -31 | 5 |
| 5 | Jaguares | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 101 | 155 | -54 | 4 |
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