DHL Stormers come out on top in Durban
The DHL Stormers scored three tries in a hard-fought 25-21 Vodacom United Rugby Championship win against the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
The derby win means that the DHL Stormers remain unbeaten against South African teams this season, but they were made to work hard for the four points at Hollywoodbets Kings Park.
The DHL Stormers dominated both territory and possession early on, camping in the opposition 22 and asking all sorts of questions of the defence.
The first try was an impressive team effort which saw forwards and backs combine before hooker Joseph Dweba burst onto the ball to finish in the corner.
They backed that up with a second try soon afterwards as fullback Warwick Gelant produced a moment of magic, collecting his own chip kick to put scrumhalf Paul de Wet through to score.
The home side responded with a try from prop Ox Nche, but the DHL Stormers had the final say in the first half, with a Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu penalty giving them a 15-7 advantage at the half-time break.
They took that lead out to 15 points with a try from wing Ben Loader early in the second half, but the home side fought back bravely.
Tries from flank James Venter and replacement hooker Bongi Mbonambi brought the Hollywoodbets Sharks right back into the contest, while a second Feinberg-Mngomezulu penalty gave the DHL Stormers some crucial breathing room.
The game was in the balance in the final stages, but the DHL Stormers held on for an important win.
The scorers:
For DHL Stormers:
Tries: Dweba, De Wet, Loader
Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2
Pens: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2
For Hollywoodbets Sharks:
Tries: Nche, Venter, Mbonambi
Cons: Bosch 2, Masuku
DHL Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Ben Loader, 13 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 12 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Evan Roos, 6 Marcel Theunissen, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Adre Smith, 3 Neethling Fouche (captain), 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Sti Sithole, 18 Brok Harris, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Wandisile Simelane, 23 Angelo Davids.
