Unattractive Stormers secure top 16 finish with win over Tigers

It took the rugby gods 70 minutes to throw a tantrum, scream enough, and deliver a shower of note to the Stormers for what had been a mixture of torrid, turgid and terrific.

Rain had not been predicted for this Investec Champions Cup match that started in glorious sunshine and two Stormers tries within the first 10 minutes and finished with a Stormers two-try flourish and heavy rain.

The rugby gods spoke with mad tears and not the glad ones, and fortunately for the 25,000 fans who paid to watch their beloved Stormers, the hosts responded to beat Leicester’s Tigers 39-26, having led 15-14 at halftime.

The Stormers, with the win, have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions Cup.

The worst they can finish in their pool is third, and the best is second should La Rochelle, at home, beat Harlequins.

The Stormers, with 10 wins from 11 in all competitions, had left the core of their first XV in Cape Town, while the dirt trackers took a 61-10 pasting against Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop in South-West London.

Those left in Cape Town to prepare for the Tigers looked like they had just got off an aeroplane.

Such was the inaccuracy in execution, their disregard for playing direct, their inability to exit, and their desire to make every pass a miracle offload.

The Stormers are a quality team, and their early season form overseas showcased their ability to play intelligent rugby, with an emphasis on field position, accuracy, and scoreboard pressure.

But since they have been back, in their past four home matches, it has been the haphazard, thrill-a-minute lateral attacking from near their own try line, self-destructive warriors who have been the opposition’s most threatening attacking weapon.

When the Stormers play the game with intelligence, they are an absorbing team to watch.

When they pursue what they believe to be an all-out attack — regardless of field position, because attack is in their supposed DNA — they become a danger to themselves.

Fortunately, they have enough quality individuals to get them out of trouble, and in the final 10 minutes, when the rain forced them into a more percentage-based attack, they looked their most destructive.

The scrum was powerful in the final quarter; Imad Khan, the replacement scrumhalf, added zip and energy with his attack around the fringes, and they controlled the finish.

Paul de Villiers, the specialist fetcher, was the Player of the Match, but too few of his teammates played with his directness and intent.

Jonathan Roche, at centre, had his moments on attack, and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was a mixed bag. The Stormers flyhalf and captain has all the tricks, but his game management was as poor as his individual moments were good.

The hosts scored five tries to four against a Tigers squad missing 11 of the 23 that beat Saracens in the Prem a fortnight ago.

Context must be given to who the Stormers played against — and just how they played.

It was not a performance good enough to take them into the big dance playoff nights, but it sufficed to get them to the last 16.

In Durban, the Sharks beat a second-string Clermont 50-12, after leading 14-12 at halftime, but will play in the EPCR Challenge Cup if Toulouse win at home against Sale.

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