All Blacks produce late surge to power past Stormers in Cape Town

The Stormers were stubborn in New Zealand’s Greatest Rivalry Tour opener in Cape Town, but just not good enough to stun the visitors.

For 67 minutes the locals were made to believe and dream big with the score at 14-all but they ultimately lost 38-21 to the All Blacks.

But the Stormers, not surprisingly, ran out of steam in the final 13 minutes, conceding four tries—three in the last eight minutes.

The sixth All Blacks try, scored by replacement hooker Asafo Aumua, came after the final hooter.

The All Blacks won their first tour match in South Africa in 30 years.

Ticket pricing had dominated the build-up but 47 000 turned out to celebrate the occasion on a brilliant Cape Town evening.

Conditions were ideal.

The weather gods had played their part and John Dobson’s Stormers also came to the party.

The Stormers had to adjust their pre-season in near totality to get a match-day squad conditioned for the challenge of the All Blacks.

And wow, did the home team players arrive carrying a ton of heart and passion.

Ultimately, their Achilles heel was always going to be the timing of the match, with them in pre-season for the United Rugby Championship.

The bookmakers had given the All Blacks a 35-point winning margin and the way New Zealand started, it seemed they would be on the money.

The All Blacks, playing with tempo and using width and the wide channels effectively, dominated the opening five minutes to lead 7-0.

The first try of the tour came from a lineout maul, but if they thought it would be a cruise the next 33 minutes proved telling as the Stormers halted the early momentum and started to impose their set piece strength.

The Stormers scrum produced several penalties and the lineout drive and maul was as profitable.

Stormers hooker Andre-Hugo Venter scored from a lineout maul, only for the try to be disallowed because of a technical infringement.

However, New Zealand lost flank Simon Parker to the sinbin for a professional foul in the same movement.

From the resulting penalty, it was veteran flanker Deon Fourie who powered over from a lineout maul.

Yaqeen Ahmed, on debut, added the conversion to level the scores at 7-all.

It stayed this way until a lost Stormers lineout proved telling and the electric All Blacks were quick to pounce and punish the home team with a fabulous try to Parker.

Beauden Barrett converted from the touchline in the 39th minute as the All Blacks led 14-7 at halftime.

The Stormers refused to go away and their scrum got stronger and the lineout maul even better.

Right wing Seabelo Senatla scored the most popular try of the night and Ahmed’s conversion again leveled the scores at 14-all.

The All Blacks reclaimed the lead in the 68th minute when left wing Rieko Ioane scored from close range and right wing Leroy Carter delivered a hammer blow in the 72nd minute to finally put some light between the two teams.

For the Stormers veterans Fourie and scrumhalf Dewald Duvenhage were very good.

The 37 year-old Duvenhage, in his final match for the Stormers, played most of the match because starting No. 9 Imaad Khan sustained an injury in the third minute.

Fourie, at 39 years of age, must be the oldest player to score a try against the All Blacks.

The All Blacks, typically, were lethal in transitions and on the counterattack.

The handling skills were sublime, but they struggled to defend the lineout maul, were second for most of the match in the scrums and looked out of sorts every time a kick went into the night sky.

They also had three players yellow carded.

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