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Stormers douse Dragons fire

Sports
Stormers douse Dragons fire

Damian Willemse marked his 100th appearance with a try as the Stormers thrashed Dragons at a cold and wet Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night in the Vodacom URC.

The Stormers established a commanding 14-0 half-time lead through two converted tries, before Willemse’s try and two conversions in the second half contributed to a 48-12 bonus-point win in the Mother City.

Victory elevated the Stormers one spot into fifth on the standings before the close of the penultimate round in the competition.

Kick-off was preceded by two-time World Cup winner and URC champion Willemse running out to a roaring reception, before injured prop Brok Harris – accompanied by his wife and three children – received a guard of honour from both the Stormers and Dragons. 

Harris ends his 19-year professional career with an incredible 433 first-class appearances for the Stormers, Western Province and Dragons – his 170 for the Stormers more than any other player in team history.

However, director of rugby John Dobson was forced into a late change on the bench, with hooker Andre-Hugo Venter replacing JJ Kotze (hurt in the pre-game warmup).

Outside centre Wandisile Simelane ignited proceedings with a brilliant solo effort in the second minute, dancing through the Dragons defence before sliding under the posts. No 7 Marcel Theunissen nearly extended the advantage at the 20-minute mark but was held up over the tryline.

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After Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s long-range penalty attempt drifted wide, speedster Seabelo Senatla streaked over in the corner following slick interplay between forwards and backs initiated by a quick lineout.

The opening 40 minutes ended on a sour note for the hosts when an enthralling try by Willemse was called back and skipper Salmaan Moerat received a yellow card for what was contentiously ruled to be a croc roll on flanker Shane Lewis-Hughes.

But the Capetonians unleashed a second-half blitz to secure their third straight URC win in emphatic fashion. Despite Aaron Wainwright’s early response for the visitors, the Stormers quickly regained control through Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s boot before scrumhalf Stefan Ungerer finished off a brilliant break from Theunissen off a lineout turnover.

Willemse finally got his name on the scoresheet in the 56th minute, securing the bonus point as the hosts accelerated clear. Though Dane Blacker grabbed a consolation try, the floodgates opened in the final 10 minutes.

Tries for Suleiman Hartzenberg, Paul de Wet and a second for Simelane completed the seven-try rout as Dobson’s men cemented their playoff push.

In round 18, the Stormers’ final league fixture of the season is at home against Cardiff, who lost to the Vodacom Bulls in a nine-try thriller at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Photo: @THESTORMERS/Twitter


Crédito: Link de origem

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