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Lions snatch win from Stormers, Brumbies stun Bulls
By Tom Webber
Madosh Tambwe scored four minutes from the end to give the Lions a six-point buffer atop the South African Conference with a hard-earned 26-23 win over the Stormers.
Winless in their two previous outings, the struggling Stormers looked to have defied Raymond Rhule's 50th-minute red card when a pair of Jean-Luc du Plessis penalties put them four points ahead with little time remaining.
But winger Tambwe finished off Hacjivah Dayimani's pass to consolidate his team's lead on Jaguares and leave the hosts five points adrift of the play-off spots.
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Rhule, who was sent off for an aerial collision with Ruan Combrinck, had earlier given the Stormers a 10-point lead at half-time when he touched down from Craig Barry's clever kick, adding to Dewaldt Duvenage's fourth-minute try.
But the Lions always remained within reach thanks to Corne Fourie, who muscled over moments after the match-turning dismissal and completed a crucial double with 20 minutes remaining to set the platform for team-mate Tambwe.
It was a bad night for home sides with the Brumbies earlier showing how to win with 14 men as they ran in two late tries to claim a gritty 38-28 win over the Bulls in Pretoria.
Tom Banks and Andy Muirhead both crossed inside the final 10 minutes to remarkably snap a five-game losing streak that had seemed certain to continue after Folau Fainga'a saw red on the hour.
The hooker, one of five scorers for the Brumbies, left his team in a perilous position after headbutting prop Matthys Basson, with Handre Pollard's subsequent penalty giving the Bulls a four-point lead.
But the South African side failed to capitalise on the numerical advantage, shipping four tries in a costly second-half collapse.
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Latest Comments
Ireland have every right to back themselves for a win. But the key variable has little to do with recent record etc.
The reality is that Ireland are a settled team with tons of continuity, an established style, and a good depth chart, whereas NZ are fundamentally rebuilding. The questions are all about what Razor is doing and how far along he is in that program.
NZ are very close to really clicking. Against England all of the chatter is about how England could have closed out a win, but failed to do so. This has obscured the observation that NZ were by far the more creative and effective in attack, beyond the 3-1 try differential and disallowed tries. They gave away a lot of unnecessary penalties, and made many simple errors (including knock-ons and loose kicks). Those things are very fixable, and when they do so we are once again going to be staring at a formidable NZ team.
Last week we heard the England fans talking confidently about their chances against NZ, but England did not end up looking like the better team on the field or the scoreboard. The England defense was impressive enough, but still could not stop the tries.
Ireland certainly has a better chance, of course, but NZ is improving fast, and I would not be surprised at a convincing All Black win this week. It may turn on whether NZ can cut out the simple mistakes.
Go to commentsFair to say that NZ have come to respect Ireland, as have all teams. But it's a bit click-baitey to say that the game is the premier show-down for NZ.
SA has beaten NZ four times in a row, including in the RWC final.
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