STORMERS 35
CHIEFS 26
KEY POINTS:
The Stormers took maximum points from their second away Super 14 rugby match when they beat the Chiefs 35-26 in Hamilton tonight.
They scored four tries to two and skipped from the bottom half of the competition to the top half temporarily.
After a 34-16 bonus-point victory over the Queensland Reds in Brisbane last weekend, they piled on the points in the first half tonight and held on for a nine-point win.
Stormers first five-eighth Peter Grant scored 20 points from a try, three penalties and three conversions while the other tries went to winger Tonderai Chavanga and fullback Conrad Jantjes while the fourth was a penalty try.
Chiefs first five-eighth Stephen Donald kicked 16 points and their two tries came from Richard Kahui from an intercept and winger Lelia Masaga.
The Stormers looked comfortable leading 25-13 at halftime after scoring three tries to one.
They commanded the collisions, burgled the ball at least six times the Chiefs took it into a tackle and seemed to outflank or beat the Chiefs' defence easily when they attacked.
In contrast, the Chiefs kicked poorly, committed numerous passing and catching errors and lost possession whenever they appeared to be building some momentum.
Grant added a try in the 16th minute to a penalty goal he had kicked after the ball popped up somehow on the Stormers' side when Chiefs No 8 Liam Messam took it into another phase of play from a defensive scrum.
The Stormers' clinical attacking ability was underscored by a swift try by Chavanga in the 24th minute. The ball was moved to the backs from a scrum and the fleet-footed Chavanga cut through the grasps of Kahui and Tom Harding and past a flat-footed Masaga.
Ahead 15-6, the Chiefs' points coming from two Donald penalty goals, the Stormers looked like running away with the game.
Their ability to turn over possession in the tackle was illustrated again when they held up Messam, snatched the ball and halfback Ricky Januarie set off an attack. He connected with big Fijian winger Sireli Naqelevuki who engaged three defenders to allow fullback Conrad Jantjes through.
Grant converted the try and added a penalty to make it 25-13 at halftime.
The Chiefs looked more settled in the second half, there was more urgency to their game and it showed as they advanced their cause by eliminating basic errors.
Donald lifted over a penalty and the Chiefs strung together at least 10 phases of play before Masaga sliced through for a try just when nothing looked on.
That closed the gap to 25-23 after Donald converted the try.
Grant kicked a penalty and Australian referee Matt Goddard awarded a penalty try to the Stormers after Masaga was offside in a desperate attempt to save a tackle on the line.
Grant converted it but Donald closed the gap again with a penalty goal before the last quarter.
The Chiefs' desperate game came into play in the last four minutes as they sought a bonus point and continually hammered the defence close to the line but the Stormers held.
- NZPA
