The Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers played out to a 22-all draw at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in a tight Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash on Saturday evening.
In contrast to last week’s game against the Emirates Lions, this was not as open and exciting as far as running rugby goes, but it was all about domination and pressure. At one stage the Stormers fell far behind off the back of some poor discipline and a scrum that couldn’t match that of the home side, but in the final quarter it was the visitors who dominated to snatch the surprise draw.
It was a dramatic climax to an intensely physical game where the Stormers, who appeared dead and buried, somehow found the fortitude to fight back and secure a draw.
As early as the third minute, Lukhanyo Am scored the opening try with the Stormers having barely had hands on the ball before the build-up to the try, when they were pushed off their own possession with a strong counter-ruck before the ball was sent wide for the captain to saunter over and dot down in the corner.
The Stormers managed to put some good work together on attack, but frequently failed to build enough pressure to score and by the end of the opening quarter had still not managed to trouble the scoreboard.
However, just as the second quarter started, the Cell C Sharks lost Am to a yellow card for repeated team infringements on defence and the Stormers opted for the three-pointer to opened their account.
A second scrum penalty for the Cell C Sharks gave them the opportunity to score points will a man down and Boeta Chamberlain restored the five point lead after 25 minutes of play.
Just short of the half hour mark, the Stormers gave away another penalty in a kickable position after an illegal counter-ruck effort, but the minute allowed for the kick elapsed and the opportunity was lost in a rare display of the new rule. Chamberlain had another bite of the cherry after the third Cell C Sharks scrum penalty, but his long distance effort went marginally wide. But more importantly, the visitors’ scrum was coming under increasing pressure from a dominant home team pack.
The Stormers withstood much of what the Cell C Sharks threw at them, but the home side scrum continued to dominate, and a fourth penalty and then subsequent penalty on attack saw Deon Fourie given his marching orders for continued indiscretions.
A Chamberlain long range drop-goal pushed the lead to 11-3 just before the half-time break and crucially a one man advantage for nine minutes of the second half.
The game had been tight in the first half with opportunities on attack rare for both sides, particularly the respective backlines not seeing much possession.
But the early moments of the second half opened up for the Cell C Sharks with Aphelele Fassi instrumental in the Cell C Sharks’ second try, making the initial break and then sending through a deft grubber which Makazole Mapimpi ran on to and dotted down in the corner for a 16-3 lead.
Grant Williams took a quick tap from a scrum penalty on the halfway line and his 40m mazy run set his team up well. A sixth scrum penalty after a desperate hand from the Stormers managed to prevent a try, but not the three pointer, converted by Chamberlain, for a 19-3 lead on the 50 minute mark.
With the Stormers finding themselves more than two converted tries behind, they managed to cut the lead with a well-worked try down the touchline off a rare scrum that didn’t yield under pressure.
But their indiscipline continued to count against them and a penalty under pressure on defence saw the Cell C Sharks lead extended to 14 points through the boot of Chamberlain with 15 minutes of the game remaining.
One area the Stormers must be credited with is their driving maul and nearing the final 10 minutes of the game, they earned a penalty try off a dominant maul and to add insult to injury, the Cell C Sharks lost a man to the sin bin. And just a converted try the difference.
The drama built as Sbu Nkosi became the third Cell C Sharks players to receive his marching orders and with just two minutes remaining, the win was in doubt with the Stormers camped in the home 22.
With time up and the Stormers hammering away, the final insult was delivered as Fassi was also sent off for a deliberate knock down with a two man overlap and with the certainty that a try would have been scored, the Stormers were awarded a penalty try for the match to end in a draw.
The post High Drama appeared first on The Sharks.
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