The DHL Stormers put up a valiant fight before succumbing to a 38-21 defeat against New Zealand at DHL Stadium on Friday night, with late injuries to key players proving decisive in an entertaining clash.
The Cape Town side remained competitive until the final quarter, when injuries to scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage and captain Ruhan Nel forced coach’s hand into emergency reshuffles that saw wing Seabelo Senatla move to scrumhalf and flank Hacjivah Dayimani shift to the wing.
New Zealand drew first blood through hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho, who crossed from a driving maul after the visitors gained advantage in the Stormers’ 22. But the hosts responded with intent, earning their own penalty advantage when New Zealand centre Anton Lienert-Brown received a yellow card for a high tackle on Jonny Roche, followed shortly by teammate Simon Parker for a maul infringement.
Veteran flank Deon Fourie capitalised on the numerical advantage, powering over after an initial maul try by Andre-Hugo Venter was disallowed. Debutant flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed slotted the conversion to level the scores at 7-7. However, Parker atoned for his sin-bin with a try just before the interval, giving the visitors a 14-7 half-time lead.
The Stormers roared back after the break, with Senatla breaking through from a set-piece move to dot down under the posts, Ahmed’s conversion restoring parity at 14-14.
The injury disruptions then took their toll, with New Zealand exploiting the reshuffled backline to score a string of tries through Rieko Ioane, Dan Carter, Caleb Moorby and Asafo Aumua. The Stormers earned a late penalty try when Warrick Gelant was tackled high whilst attempting to score.
Despite the 12-point margin, the final scoreline flattered the tourists after a spirited performance from the home side kept the enthusiastic DHL Stadium crowd engaged throughout.
The result highlighted the Stormers’ fighting spirit but underlined the challenge of maintaining momentum when key personnel are forced from the field.
The scorers:
For DHL Stormers:
Tries: Fourie, Senatla, penalty try
Cons: Ahmed 2
For New Zealand:
Tries: Taukei’aho, Parker, Ioane, Carter, Moorby, Aumua
Cons: Barrett 3, Jacomb
