Huge win as Munster end Stormers’ two-year home streak in Cape Town

Victory means the visitors are likely to end fifth in the URC standings.

Sat, 15 Apr, 2023 - 19:29

Craig Ray

Stormers 24

Munster 26

Munster stormed Cape Town and became the first side to beat the Stormers in South Africa’s Mother City since 2021 – a sequence that stretched to 21 games – with a 26-24 win.

It was a victory for tenacity after the visitors grimly held out through the middle period of the game when the home side seized control everywhere but on the scoreboard.

Munster’s four tries, from four scoring opportunities underlined how clinical they were on attack and earned a bonus point. The Stormers by contrast, were sloppy and failed to turn long periods of dominance into points but they earned two bonus points from the game, which might be handy if Ulster slip up in the final round.

The Stormers' lineout malfunctioned with four throws going astray through a combination of their own faults and the pressure RG Snyman and Jean Kleyn placed on the fragile Stormers’ set piece.

Stormers hooker Joseph Dweba lost his Bok place because his throwing is erratic, and under pressure last night, he struggled again.

To add to the home side’s woes, flyhalf Manie Libbok kicked two out of seven from the tee, which cost his side severely on the night. It could also be expensive in the long run.

Victory for Munster means they are likely to end fifth on the standings because of Glasgow’s victory on Friday with the final round to come.

The Stormers though, missed the chance to move to second and edge closer to home play-offs all the way to the final, if they go that far.

Last quarter tries from Munster wing Shane Daly and No 8 Gavin Coombes secured the win after the Stormers took control in the middle period of the game.

Although Munster conceded three tries in the 20 minutes either side of halftime, they defended brilliantly for the most part and deservedly won the day.

It was as you were at halftime after the home side fought back from 12-0 down and a yellow card to score three minutes after the hooter went for the break.

It was a crucial period where Munster needed to hold out after their fast start to the match, but the home side, buoyed by a frothing 25,000 home crowd, would not be denied.

A beautiful line break by impressive centre Daniel du Plessis, son of former Bok midfielder Michael, followed by an equally stunning 20-metre pass at speed to wing Seabelo Senatla, ended in Munster scrambling the ball into their own in-goal area.

The Stormers scrum was a strong weapon and in the multiple phases of play that followed they forced three more penalties before Ruhan Nel’s angled run was enough to breach the line.

Earlier Munster made the perfect start, scoring from a lineout drive with barely two minutes played. Hooker Diarmuid Barron dotted down and 20 minutes later he did the same on the opposite end of the field from another lineout.

That score came after Senatla was yellow-carded for a high tackle on the abrasive Peter O’Mahoney. At 12-0 the visitors looked in control but the Stormers haven’t remained unbeaten at the Cape Town Stadium for 21 matches and nearly two years without reason.

They lost the breakdown battle as O’Mahoney and Coombes made life difficult for the home team with their near manic commitment to the battle on the deck. Snyman was an ever-present threat in the carry and centre Malakai Fekitoa caused the Stormers midfield no end of trouble with his carries.

The Stormers bent and buckled early on and eventually broke late in the game when their own errors and Munster’s ruthlessness finally put the game beyond doubt with Coombes’ try five minutes from the end.

Scorers:

Stormers – Tries: Frans Malherbe, Ruhan Nel (2), Steven Kitshoff. Conversions: Manie Libbok (2).

Munster – Tries: Diarmuid Barron (2), Shane Daly, Gavin Coombes. Conversions: Jack Crowley, Ben Healy.