Rugby: Stormers grind out dour victory

Schalk Burger of the Stormers. Photo / Getty Images

Stormers 16 Brumbies 3
It wasn't even a Brumbies player or gung-ho marketing executive who dubbed the Canberra outfit "the Real Madrid of Australian rugby". It was actually the Waratahs' concussion-prone Berrick Barnes last year.

How they must love Barnes for that. Thanks, here ... have a concussion. So it wasn't their doing, but the Real Madrid tag has stuck to the Brumbies like chewing gum on a shoe. Some wags call them the Real Duds of Australian rugby after only two wins.

Both sides took the field last night without leading playmakers and pointscorers - Matt Giteau and Peter Grant respectively - and Giteau's absence was expected to hurt most.

It did. The Brumbies battled away with a ton of heart but no great skill nor attacking flair, working hard to achieve an advantage before losing it through handling errors or turnovers.

Real Madrid? More like a Spanish omelette - and, with no Giteau, they were a bit like the famed potato-and-onion tortilla, without the onion. They were at their best with some physical competition at the breakdown and pick-and-go driving from the forwards. It needed a try-saving tackle from little winger Gio Aplon to stop rangy flanker Mitchell Chapman from scoring after about 20 minutes - but they rarely threatened otherwise, though they did mess up a tryscoring opportunity to winger Henry Speight.

However, the Stormers had earlier been robbed of a perfectly fair try to centre Jaques Fourie after cuts by Bryan Habana, Juan de Jongh, Gio Aplon and hooker Deon Fourie.

They showed flashes of incisiveness but it has been a long time on the road for the Stormers. Maybe it was also a hangover from their win over the Blues last week.

Bok flanker Schalk Burger, enormous lock Andries Bekker and Deon Fourie all had busy and committed games. The Stormers seemed set to play their usual style of grinding down the other side, defending with pepper and looking for the counter-attack from the broken-play running of Habana, Aplon and de Jongh - but they battled to halftime only 6-3 up in a largely dull half.

Dull? There's been drying cement more exciting but the Stormers at least produced more concrete form after halftime with a try to flanker Francois Louw following mauling and driving led by the excellent Burger and Deon Fourie.

Champagne rugby, no, but it was a big popped cork for the Stormers. They have a comfortable lead in their conference, play the lowly Rebels next week and should cement a playoffs place. This win wasn't pretty - too many mistakes all round for that - but the Stormers will only care about the pretty that means "pretty close to the finals".

FULL TIME

Brumbies 3 (C. Lealiifano pen)

Stormers 16 (F. Louw try; K. Coleman con, 2 pen; G. Aplon pen).

HALFTIME

3-6.