'Reasonably fair' draw for the Stormers

“A draw was a reasonably fair result,” Stormers coach John Dobson said philosophically after his team failed to press home their early advantage against Leinster in Dublin on Friday night.

His team had held a healthy first-half lead in their United Rugby Championship (URC) match but then it was the hosts' turn to benefit from a strong wind which helped bring the match to a 22-all stalemate by the final whistle.

It was imperative the Stormers, who assembled something resembling their best available team, get log points from the game in their quest to secure second place on the championship table.

They got two which pushed them in that direction but they are not yet out of Ulster's reach.

Wind assisted

With the help of a stiff breeze the Stormers applied greater thrust in the opening exchanges. They showed more intent and drive than the back-pedalling hosts and though they held territorial ascendancy the visitors did not initially profit on the scoreboard.

They made incursions into Leinster territory but their accuracy, especially given the velocity of the wind at their back, frustratingly fell short of the mark.

Centre Dan du Plessis proved a willing and able ball carrier, hooker Joseph Dweba made telling collisions, lock Marvin Orie stood tall in the line-out, loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff was always in the thick of things and eventually the visitors' persistence paid off.

In the 20th minute, with the try line a sniff away, the Stormers recycled a ruck ball, flyhalf Manie Libbok shaped to pass but instead stepped inside, beating two defenders before diving over unchallenged.

He was instrumental in the Stormers' second try, swooping onto a loose ball as Leinster erred in attack. Libbok made his way upfield but as he seemed destined to be reeled in he offloaded to the speeding Suleiman Hartzenberg who ran in the second try.

Momentum shift

The Stormers found themselves 17-0 up on the cusp of halftime but then miscommunication at a defensive line-out presented Leinster a foothold. The home team beseeched by their home fans lay siege to the Stormers try line and eventually found a way over through loose head prop Michael Milne.

It proved a momentum shift as Leinster returned from the break with greater resolve, adding three more tries as the Stormers struggled to make it over the halfway line.

“The wind was insane,” said Dobson who likened it to the weather the Stormers had encountered in Galway.

“The conditions were really tough. Wind and rain. We kicked two that ended up in tries (for Leinster) and a 22 entry. I was also disappointed with how we played tactically in the second half. It was a game of real intensity,” said Dobson.

The coach, who admitted he had mixed feelings about the result, lamented his team's inability to get out of their half and apply pressure through the air. “We were really poor at contestable kicks in the second half. If we got that right we might have won the game.”

Resilient response

A big positive though was the resilience the visitors showed when Leinster, energised by momentum, the wind and a vibrant crowd ran into a 22-17 lead shortly after Hartzenberg was wrongly sent to the sin bin.

“At 22-17 and we down to 14 we were probably out of the game,” said Dobson who noted his team was the first not to lose to Leinster in Dublin since the Bulls won their semifinal there last year.

A try by fullback Clayton Blommetjies who followed up a cross-kick from Libbok brought the scores level. Libbok, who had a hand in all three Stormers' tries, perhaps perfectly mirrored his team's capriciousness on the evening by missing the tricky conversion.

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