By Gavin Rich.
The Queen song “We are the champions” reverberated around DHL Stadium as the final whistle blew and that the DHL Stormers will certainly be for at least the next two weeks thanks to their 43-25 win over Connacht in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship semi-final on Saturday.
That means the Stormers have to wait until the later semi-final on Saturday in Dublin between Leinster and Munster to find out who they will play, but what they do know for certain is that they are into their second successive URC final and will take their reign as champions into the decider where-ever it will be played.
While an 18 point winning margin might look like a one-sided game it gives a false impression for the Stormers, although well ahead shortly before halftime, had to dig deep on a couple of occasions as the tenacious and determined visitors came back at them. And it was only a two try burst in the last five minutes, the first one dotted down by replacement flank Marcel Theunissen and then centre Ruhan Nel, that made the game safe.
There were certainly many nerves apparent in the Stormers’ game early on as they struggled to get control of the ball in the blustery conditions and they had to fight back from an initial 8-0 deficit before running up their 24-13 halftime lead. And there were nerves again when first Shamus Hurley-Langton, in the 59th minute, and then Byron Ralston, with five minutes to go, scored tries that cut down the Stormers’ advantage to less than seven points.
However, the second time it happened, the Stormers held their nerve impressively and a hoisted kick from Damian Willemse induced the mistake from which pacy loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani burst through to set up the clinching score for his fellow back-row player Theunissen.
That was the cue for the Cape Town crowd of more than 47 000, which broke last week’s record for a URC match set at the quarterfinal against the Vodacom Bulls, to go into celebration mode and the Stormers lifted the volume in the stadium further when they set themselves free down the right touchline and Nel rounded off.
POOR START AS CONNACHT GOT IT RIGHT EARLY
It wasn’t clear it was going to end so positively for the Stormers in the first quarter, and at the start it looked like all the talk about which team the stars were aligning for had an answer – the game was played in a howling gale-force wind which might have made Connacht feel more at home than they would otherwise have been.
The Stormers were jittery under the early pressure applied by Connacht from the kick-off and a scrum penalty saw Jack Carty raise the flags from in front of the posts in the third minute to put his team 3-0 ahead.
The first two Stormers lineouts were poor and they struggled to hold onto the ball early doors, and Connacht capitalised by dominating the early territory and possession. It was after an attacking scrum under the posts that Connacht built up to create the space which wing Mack Hansen used to get over in the left corner to make it 8-0 after 13 minutes.
THEN LIBBOK TOOK CENTRE STAGE
Being more than a score behind appeared to galvanise the Stormers, and it introduced flyhalf Manie Libbok onto the main stage, with his cross kick putting in Angelo Davids after the initial thrust had been created by a break from Willemse followed by a strong carry from Evan Roos.
Libbok showed that he wouldn’t have too many problems with the swirling wind by kicking the angled conversion and then put his team in front for the first time with a penalty in the 25th minute.
It wasn’t a day when you’d say the Stormers’’forwards won it for them, and Connacht enjoyed the major share of possession. What the Stormers got right, and were particularly lethal at, was their transitioning, and it was after fielding a kick bouncing inside his 22 that Libbok set off on the run that presented him with the space he kicked into.
Dan du Plessis was up to carry on the attack down the left touchline and then the ball was transferred inside for Libbok to round off what he had started. Suddenly, after being behind, the Stormers were 17-8 up after 28 minutes and the hosts had a degree of comfort.
And their position became more comfortable still when Angelo Davids popped up at first receiver to create the space that saw Libbok round off for his second try and with the conversion he made it 24-8 and there were eight minutes to halftime.
VISITORS REFUSED TO DIE
They went back onto the attack and looked like they might extend that lead by the halftime hooter, but that though was when Connacht showed the “dawg” (dog) Stormers coach John Dobson had referred to in the buildup. From a defensive scrum on the stroke of halftime saw a midfield break that led ultimately to a try near the posts for flanker Conor Oliver.
Like the Bulls did the previous week, Connacht managed to score that try off the last move of the half, but Carty wasn’t able to kick the conversion because he dallied and the Stormers ran through to pick the ball up, with referee Mike Adamson ruling in the Stormers’ favour.
Those missed points, with the conversion being in an easily kickable position, could have come back to haunt Connacht later, and as it was they were back to within four points and appeared to be shifting the momentum in their direction when a prolonged and sustained buildup led to Hurley-Langton’s try at the end of the third quarter.
The Stormers had started the half impressively and came close to scoring off a move that was broken by Adamson ruling obstruction and then a few minutes later another strong Stormers attack was thwarted when what might have been the try scoring pass was intercepted.
The Stormers broke the Connacht momentum that was building in typical Stormers fashion, as they played the penalty advantage at a scrum just metres from their own line and with deft passing and running they swept upfield for replacement scrumhalf Paul de Wet to score near the posts.
BRILLIANT 50/22 CHANGED THE NARRATIVE – TEMPORARILY
With the Stormers leading by 11 points again and only 14 minutes left it looked like their game again, only for the momentum to swing again after a missed penalty from Libbok. The Stormers tried to play Connacht into their own 22 with a kick only for it to be launched back as a 50/22 that gave the Irish side the throw-in at a lineout five metres from the line and with just six minutes to go.
Ralston scored in the opposite corner from the possession that was won in that lineout on the left side of the field, and it was squeaky bum time for Stormers fans as their team led by just six. The Cape side held their nerve though, scored the try that settled things and are now on their way to another final.
SCORES
DHL Stormers 43
Tries: Angelo Davids, Manie Libbok 2, Paul de Wet, Marcel Theunissen and Ruhan Nel
Conversions: Manie Libbok 5
Penalty: Manie Libbok
Connacht 25
Tries: Mack Hansen, Conor Oliver, Shamus Hurley-Langton and Byron Ralston
Conversion: Jack Carty
Penalty: Jack Carty.