Willemse Magic And Six-Try Blitz Powders Cardiff Despite Sacha’s Injury Scare
After a slow and hard-fought start, the Stormers gradually tightened their grip on the contest before running out convincing 44-21 winners over Cardiff in their URC quarter-final in front of more than 30,000 spectators at DHL Stadium.
While Cardiff remained competitive for long periods and threatened to swing the momentum in their favour, the hosts ultimately proved too powerful once they found their rhythm.
What initially appeared to be a finely balanced encounter quickly turned into a one-sided affair as the Stormers shifted through the gears, overwhelming the Welsh side with a clinical attacking display. Once the points started flowing, there was no stopping them as they pulled away emphatically to secure a convincing victory and book their place in the semi-finals.
The Stormers scored six tries to Cardiff’s three, with Andre-Hugo Venter, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Leolin Zas, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Paul de Villiers and JJ Kotze all crossing the whitewash as the home crowd was treated to a flurry of attacking rugby.
The first half was a battle of attrition, with both sides regularly entering each other’s 22 but struggling to convert pressure into points.
The returning Seabelo Senatla made a lively start, chasing contestable kicks with intent and putting in several crucial tackles to the delight of the home supporters.
The Stormers were forced to defend on their own five-metre line early on, but did so impressively, forcing a handling error and earning the first scrum of the match.
That scrum, and those that followed, set the tone for the contest. The Stormers dominated the set-piece with ruthless power and control, leaving the Cardiff front row with few answers.
Despite earning several attacking scrums deep inside Cardiff territory, the Stormers were unable to capitalise, highlighting a recurring criticism that they have not always made the most of their entries into the opposition 22.
That issue was evident during their first genuine attacking opportunity when Feinberg-Mngomezulu attempted a cross-kick that narrowly failed to find the onrushing Zas.
Cardiff continued to pose a threat, and an Ioan Lloyd break eventually resulted in a Stormers penalty. While no points came from the move, it served as an early warning for the home side.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 19th minute. With the Stormers attacking just outside Cardiff’s five-metre line, an untidy breakdown and a loose pass from Imad Khan sparked a counter-attack. Cardiff broke clear from deep before Cameron Winnett finished off the move, diving over to silence the home crowd.
Lloyd added the conversion to hand the visitors a surprise 7-0 lead.
The Stormers responded in the 24th minute. After a contentious try from Andre-Hugo Venter, which appeared to fall short of the line, the hosts maintained the pressure and were eventually rewarded when the impressive Mchunu powered his way over.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted and soon added another successful kick after the Stormers struck again, giving the hosts a 14-7 advantage after 30 minutes.
When Keiron Assiratti was shown a yellow card, the Stormers made their numerical advantage count. A moment of brilliance from Damian Willemse saw the fullback produce a sensational offload to release Zas, who shrugged off Winnett’s challenge to score a superb try in the corner.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu remained flawless from the tee, extending the Stormers’ lead to 21-7.
HALF-TIME: STORMERS 21-7 CARDIFF
Just as they had in the first half, Cardiff struck first after the restart.
A 44th-minute grubber kick was expertly anticipated and cleaned up by Willemse, but the visitors soon made their pressure count. From the resulting scrum, Taine Basham broke away from the base and crossed for a relatively straightforward try.
Lloyd added an excellent conversion from out wide to cut the deficit to just seven points at 21-14.
Cardiff continued to compete fiercely at the breakdown, disrupting another Stormers attack in the 49th minute.
The pattern of the first half soon repeated itself. After Ben Thomas sparked a Cardiff counter-attack, Lloyd attempted a cross-kick that was brilliantly claimed by Senatla, who had been outstanding under the high ball throughout the match. Spinning out of contact, the winger found an onrushing Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who raced away untouched to score the Stormers’ fourth try.
The celebrations were short-lived, however, as concerns grew when Feinberg-Mngomezulu was forced from the field with an apparent injury. He was replaced by Jurie Matthee.
Khan took over the kicking duties but was unable to add the extras.
Cardiff continued to knock on the Stormers’ door and were eventually rewarded when James Botham crossed for the visitors’ third try. After a sustained period of forward dominance, the Welsh side repeatedly picked and drove close to the line before finally forcing their way over.
Lloyd maintained his impressive record from the kicking tee, adding the conversion to reduce the deficit to just five points at 26-21 and leave the contest finely poised heading into the closing stages.
Javan Sebastian was then shown a yellow card as Cardiff’s determined defence came under increasing pressure on its own line. Despite their best efforts to repel wave after wave of Stormers attacks, the numerical advantage eventually told.
The hosts made their extra man count when De Villiers powered his way over from close range, bundling across the whitewash for the Stormers’ fifth try of the afternoon and providing some much-needed breathing room on the scoreboard.
With Matthee taking over the kicking duties, a penalty stretched the lead to 34-21 with just over 10 minutes remaining before Kotze crossed for the Stormers’ sixth try to send the rapturous crowd home smiling.
The Stormers then added a late score to complete an emphatic 44-21 victory and seal their place in the semi-finals.
After a commanding performance, the Stormers will now turn their attention to the Leinster versus Lions clash in Dublin, which will determine their opponents in the next round.
