Early Storm blows away Chiefs
The Stormers got their second consecutive win on the road as they beat the Chiefs 35-26 on Friday at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton.
Last Updated: 14/03/08 12:35pm
The Stormers got their second consecutive win on the road as they beat the Chiefs 35-26 at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on Friday.
Chiefs fly-half Stephen Donald had opened the scoring with penalty but it was the Stormers who provided the early fireworks.
Donald's opposite number, Peter Grant, followed up with a penalty of his own before he crossed the Chiefs' line with an excellent individual effort from close in, which he also converted.
And the Stormers grabbed their second try when Luke Watson nicked a ball that Liam Messam should never has lost. The ball went wide and when Tonderai Chavhanga slipped through tackles from Simms Davidson and Richard Kanui, he was never going to be caught.
Another turnover cost the Chiefs dearly four minutes later. This time Schalk Brits teamed up with Schalk Burger to steal the ball off the home side. Ricky January ground and some good hands saw full-back Conrad Jantjes score an entertaining try.
The writing looked to be on the wall for the Chiefs, but Richard Kanui scored an intercept try to reduce the gap to 12.
The Chiefs looked much better in the second half. The addition of Callum Bruce marked an improvement in their kicking, but they had a huge mountain to climb.
An excellent try from winger Lelia Masaga and a healthy contribution from Donald's boot brought them within two points before the referee awarded the Stormers a penalty try after Lelia Masaga tackled Burger from an offside position.
The visitors had enjoyed nearly 60 per cent of the possession but in the last 10 minutes the Chiefs were all attack. Twice they were denied what looked like great tries in the dying moments as the game slipped away from them.
The Stormers were good value for their nine-point winning margin and the confidence gained form this win will stand them in good stead when they face the Blues in Auckland next week.
