Stormers 23
It's hard to believe the Chiefs actually won. Even harder to believe they forced the Stormers to concede their highest points total for two years.
The Chiefs, as they are prone to do, went from the ridiculous to the sublime. A bungling mess in the first 40, they were free-wheeling
in the second, scoring tries for fun and making everyone wonder why it was the Stormers hadn't previously had their roots pulled out of the ground.
It all went right for the Chiefs when the forwards became more patient, held on to the ball with more effective pick and drive to force greater numbers of Stormers to commit to the breakdown.
When they didn't have three or four big lugs marauding in the backline, their defensive line wasn't so hard to break. With a better match-up on numbers, the Chiefs could use the talents of Richard Kahui and Sitiveni Sivivatu to create and exploit space.
It was Kahui who kick-started the recovery when he pounced on a loose ball early in the second half, hacked it on and then earned a penalty try after he was impeded by Gio Aplon in the act of scoring.
"He's been playing outstanding football," said Mils Muliaina of his centre. "He's been growing as a player, as a leader."
Reduced to 14 men, the Stormers lost their composure and conviction and the Chiefs saw their chance. Tries to Sivivatu and Liam Messam followed as the Chiefs controlled possession and reduced the error count.
Messam led by stunning example - the Chiefs openside giving them the go-forward and certainty they had been missing in the first period.
They will probably want to gloss over the first 40 minutes. It was easy in the first half to see why the Stormers have the best defensive record in Super Rugby.
It was just as easy to see why the Chiefs have been plodding in the middle of the table with no great hope of freeing themselves from the shackles of mediocrity.
The Stormers dutifully talked up the Chiefs before kick-off, followed protocol by declaring their opponent as being more dangerous than their results suggested. If they actually meant it, then the Stormers will have been taken aback at just how easily they contained the Chiefs in that period.
The visitors gave the impression they could have defended for another 80 minutes with no great dramas.
The Chiefs barely stretched them; hitting them with one-off runners was almost an insult to the Stormers. It was ludicrously easy for them to hammer the Chiefs in the tackle - driving them back metres at a time.
The hard part to accept was the lack of imagination. If the Chiefs had succeeded in manipulating the defence, creating holes and opportunities and blown their chance through poor final execution, it would have almost been okay.
But to have pursued such a limited and ineffective strategy was unforgiveable. It's hardly a secret how the Stormers play. The Crusaders showed the way; proved they were beatable as long as the ball keeps moving away from the collisions - not always being taken back towards them.
Gio Aplon showed there is still a place for the smaller man even in these power-athlete obsessed times. He flew on to a short pass, then left Muliaina clutching air with a vicious step and swerve. Sivivatu was equally embarrassed as Aplon glided in for a spectacular try.
Muliaina's ego was only just recovering from the shame of being smashed to the ground by rampaging hooker Deon Fourie minutes earlier.
When Schalk Burger scored 10 minutes later, it had the feel of being a long night for the Chiefs. They were memorably destroyed by the same team in Hamilton last year and they weren't offering much in the way of resistance to be confident it wouldn't happen again last night.
Then it all swung round - the Chiefs found themselves and broke their shackles. The unthinkable is now a possibility. The Chiefs, for the hundredth time, are making a late charge at the playoffs. They could get there. They really could.
The Stormers are one of the best sides in the competition. The Highlanders, who the Chiefs beat the week before, are also one of the better teams in the competition. The Chiefs love all this - it is what they do.
Chiefs 30 (Penalty try, S. Sivivatu, L. Messam tries; S. Donald 3 cons, 3 pens) Stormers 23 (G. Aplon, S. Burger tries; P. Grant 2 cons, 3 pens).
In Canberra, the visiting Lions - coached by John Mitchell and Carlos Spencer - slowly gained control of the match against the Brumbies, coming back from 10-0 down to lead 10-12 at halftime. Their 29-20 win was their first over the Brumbies in Canberra and earned a bonus point.
Brumbies 20 (S. Moore, T. Smith tries; M. Giteau 2 con, 2 pen), Lions 29 (M. Rhodes, J. Van Rensburg, A. Hollenbach, J. Taute tries; E. Jantjes 3 con, pen). Halftime: 10-12.
Super 15 standings
