New skipper the hero as Stormers grab Super start

Sun, Feb 26, 2017, 3:30 AM
AFP
by AFP
The Stormers got their 2017 Super Rugby season off to a win over rivals Bulls in a tough derby match.

Siya Kolisi celebrated his first game as Stormers skipper by scoring a try in a 37-24 Super Rugby victory over the Bulls on Saturday.

The Springbok flanker dotted down on 50 minutes after a spectacular dive in the corner as the Stormers confirmed their dominance over the Bulls in Cape Town.

It was the sixth consecutive home victory by the Stormers over the Pretoria outfit in the competition.

Great scrummaging played a crucial role as the home team scored three first-half tries to build a 24-0 halftime lead.

The rattled Bulls, also playing under a newskipper in flyhalf Handre Pollard, performed much better in the second half.

In Bloemfontein a late Rohan Janse van Rensburg try gave the Lions 28-25 away victory Saturday over the Cheetahs.

He took a pass from scrumhalf Ross Cronje and dived over in the corner to win a tense first-round tussle on a heavy pitch.

It was the second try of the match for van Rensburg, with his first bringing the Johannesburg side back into the match after trailing by 10 points.

“We showed character at the death to win, but there is a lot to work on,” admitted Springbok and Lions skipper Warren Whiteley.

Cheetahs skipper and hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld said: "Too many soft moments cost us the game. We left some points out on the field."

In Port Elizabeth, superb try by Jaguares scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou highlighted a 39-26 win for the Argentines over Southern Kings on Saturday.

Half the visiting team handled the ball in a move started inside their 22 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Bertranou, deputising for injured Argentina star Martin Landajo, rounded off a string of slick passes by dotting down on 16 minutes.

SuperSport TV analyst and former Springboks coach Nick Mallett called the try "exceptional".

Share