Lineout Shambles Costs Stormers As They Lost To Edinburgh

The Stormers concluded their short two-match European tour with a 17-13 defeat to Edinburgh at Hive Stadium on Friday night.

Following their impressive away victory over Ulster last week, Edinburgh were hoping to build on the momentum of their opening-day triumph – and they did just that against a below-par Stormers side, whose defensive effort was arguably the one area that stood out.

The Stormers produced a disappointing and scrappy performance, lacking much in the way of attacking intent and appearing disjointed in several key areas. Their struggles at the lineout were particularly costly, with the visitors finishing the game with a meagre 53% success rate.

Edinburgh took a sixth-minute lead after the Stormers conceded a penalty at the breakdown, with James Grayson converting from the tee.

The Stormers had an opportunity to draw level in the 13th minute through the boot of Yaqeen Ahmed, but the young flyhalf sliced his effort well wide of the upright.

Grayson then missed an opportunity to extend Edinburgh’s lead in the 18th minute.

Edinburgh were making inroads into the Stormers’ half and building attacking momentum, threatening to breach the visitors’ defence. However, they were often a pass short, while the Stormers’ defence stood firm, delivering big hits to deny the hosts a clear path to the try line.

In the 29th minute, the Stormers had an opportunity from an attacking lineout, but Vernon Paulo’s throw failed to find its intended target. Their lineout woes were compounded moments later when Paulo missed another throw, handing Edinburgh back-to-back steals within the space of a minute.

With Edinburgh making the most of their attacking opportunities, the Stormers’ resilient defence came to the fore towards the end of the first half. They defended with intensity to keep the hosts at bay, eventually forcing Edinburgh into a double movement as the home side desperately searched for a way through, resulting in a penalty.

With the Stormers deep inside their own 22, Ahmed opted for the safe option, kicking the ball into touch to bring the first half to a close.

HALF-TIME: EDINBURGH 3-0 STORMERS

With the wind at his back, Ahmed made amends for his first-half miss, calmly slotting a penalty in the 48th minute to get the Stormers on the scoreboard and draw the sides level after Edinburgh were penalised for hands in the ruck.

With the penalties mounting, the home side were penalised once again for failing to roll away from the ruck. Ahmed made no mistake from the resulting penalty, adding another three points to put the Stormers ahead for the first time.

Despite another sustained period of attacking pressure from Edinburgh and an opportunity to breach the Stormers’ try line, the visitors’ defensive wall stood firm.

The Stormers’ lead was short-lived, however, as another poor lineout allowed the home side to steal possession. Jerry Blyth-Lafferty then broke through the defence before being brought down, with Paul Hill following up from the base of the ruck to dot down for the try.

Grayson slotted the conversion to add the extras and give Edinburgh a 10-6 lead.

It was somewhat of a double blow for the Stormers, with Seabelo Senatla shown a yellow card for a cynical infringement in the build-up to the try. However, moments later, with the Stormers pressing inside the red zone, Edinburgh were also reduced to 14 men as Freddy Douglas was sent to the sin bin for an infringement at the breakdown.

After a Wandisile Simelane try was disallowed for his toe touching the line – the correct decision – it merely delayed the inevitable, as Hacjivah Dayimani powered over with brute force after the Stormers were awarded a penalty advantage.

Ahmed was beginning to find his rhythm and made no mistake with the conversion to give the Stormers a 13-10 lead with less than a quarter of the match remaining.

Edinburgh refused to relent, with another entry into the Stormers’ 22 ultimately succeeding for the home side. As the Stormers defended valiantly, a wide, sweeping pass found Rory McHaffie in space, and he crossed the whitewash for the try.

Grayson made no mistake with an excellent conversion to restore Edinburgh’s lead and put the hosts 17-13 ahead with a crucial score.

With the Stormers attacking as the clock went into the red, another poorly executed lineout allowed Edinburgh to regain possession and kick the ball into touch, securing a hard-fought victory and making it two wins from two for the Scots.