Stormers on the charge
The Stormers returned to winning ways with a 33-21 success over the Blues but missed out on a bonus point.
Last Updated: 11/04/10 10:49am
The Stormers got back on the victory trail with a 33-21 success over the Blues at Eden Park, but again failed to pick up a bonus point.
After last weekend's last-gasp defeat to Western Force, the Stormers started positively and raced out to a 20-point lead before the Blues even fired a shot.
In mitigation for the home side they were disrupted by the late withdrawals of prop John Afoa (back) and inside centre Benson Stanley (concussion) and the front row crisis deepened when tighthead prop Charlie Faumuina was forced from the field with just 10 minutes gone with a rib/sternum problem.
Although the two teams both scored three tries apiece, Peter Grant was deadly accurate with the boot kicking a perfect four from four penalties and converting all three tries, while his opposite number Stephen Brett missed a couple of crucial penalties.
Blistering start
The Stormers got off to a blistering start thanks to tries for Jacque Fourie and Dewaldt Duvenage, both of which were converted by Grant who also bookended the half with penalties.
Fourie's try came in the 13th minute after a poor kick was fielded by Gio Aplon and he scythed through the Blues defence before picking out hooker Tiaan Liebenberg and he in turn found the Springboks centre who dotted down.
Brett missed with a penalty attempt shortly afterwards and in the 24th minute Duvenage was over after a good lineout drive by the Stormers forwards.
It could have been worse for the Blues but the Stormers butchered a certain try when Schalk Burger wasted a two-man overlap and the visitors had to settle for another Grant penalty.
Having fallen so far behind, the Blues sparked into life 10 minutes before the break and a superb burst from deep by full-back Isaia Toeava resulted in Serge Lilo burrowing his way over and Brett slotted the conversion.
Wasteful
The Stormers were equally as wasteful at the start of the second half when a great break by Bryan Habana opened up a certain try-scoring opportunity for Aplon only for the full-back to knock on with the line begging.
Again they had to settle for a Grant penalty and with 10 minutes of the second half gone a resurgent Blues side narrowed the gap to 23-12 when Luke McAlister, who was promoted from the bench for Stanley, collected a cut-out pass from Brett to dive over. Brett slotted the extras but missed with a penalty a few minutes later.
The two sides then exchanged quick-fire tries as first Stormers replacement Anton van Zyl capitalised from another poor Blues lineout, and then Joe Rokocoko and Toeava combined to put the All Blacks wing over by the posts.
Brett's conversion reduced the deficit to nine points to give them some hope but that was snuffed out when another infringement at the ruck gave Grant his fourth shot at goal and he made no mistake.
