By Adnaan Mohamed
The Stormers came within touching distance of one of the biggest upsets in their history before a handful of crucial moments allowed the All Blacks to pull away at DHL Stadium on Friday night.
New Zealand eventually won 38-21 in the opening match of the Greatest Rivalry series, but the scoreline does not tell the full story.
At 14-14 after 65 minutes, the Stormers had genuine belief.
They had weathered a difficult opening, recovered from defensive lapses and gradually forced the All Blacks into a contest they were expected to dominate.
Then the game turned.
Rieko Ioane, Lee Roy Carter and Josh Moorby scored tries as New Zealand produced the clinical finishing expected from one of rugby’s most decorated teams.
For Stormers coach John Dobson, the frustration was knowing his side had created enough opportunities to make the result far more interesting.
“We dared to dream for a while, there were a couple of big moments,” Dobson said.
Those moments ultimately proved decisive.
Seabelo Senatla’s linebreak was one of them. The Stormers looked set to attack with real momentum before the opportunity ended in a penalty.
A promising maul on the far side also broke down when possession was lost.
Then came the pivotal passage at 14-all.
The Stormers were defending well and had the All Blacks under pressure, according to Dobson, before a scrum decision went against the hosts and New Zealand turned the resulting momentum into a try.
“They were shut down and boxed in, and that’s when I thought we really had a chance,” Dobson said.
Captain Ruhan Nel identified another critical moment.
The Stormers were in New Zealand territory with the scores level when a pick-and-go ended with the ball being lost forward.
Within moments, the Stormers were defending in their own 22.
New Zealand scored.
“If we converted that opportunity and go up 21-14, you’re feeling strong,” Nel said.
It was the sort of fine margin that separates a famous victory from a respectable defeat.
The Stormers had been written off before kick-off, with plenty of pre-match predictions suggesting the All Blacks would overwhelm them.
For long periods, the opposite was true.
New Zealand’s passing game eventually exposed the Stormers, but Dobson was full of praise for the skill level of the visitors.
“They pass so well. That style of rugby is magnificent,” he said.
Nel, meanwhile, was left with the unavoidable question of what might have been.
“I do feel there was an opportunity of two for us out there and if we handled it a little bit better we would’ve sung a different song,” he said.
The Stormers did not produce the historic result they dared to imagine.
They did, however, prove they belonged in the conversation.
Against the All Blacks, that is no small consolation.
The next step is turning those big moments from missed opportunities into match-winning ones.
The scorers:
Stormers:
Tries: Fourie, Senatla, penalty try
Cons: Ahmed 2
New Zealand:
Tries: Taukei’aho, Parker, Ioane, Carter, Moorby, Aumua
Cons: Barrett 3, Jacomb
DHL Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Yaqeen Ahmed, 9 Imad Khan, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Connor Evans, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Vernon Matongo.
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotzé, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Herman Lubbe, 19 Ruan Ackermann, 20 Keke Morabe, 21 Wandile Mlaba, 22 Dewaldt Duvenage, 23 Wandisile Simelane.
New Zealand: 15 Josh Moorby, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Anton Leinert-Brown, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Anton Segner, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu, 4 Fabian Holland, 3 Pasilio Tosi, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 George Bower.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Siale Lauaki, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Ethan Blackadder, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Josh Jacomb, 23 Caleb Clarke