DHL STADIUM – The DHL Stormers XXIII ushered in a new chapter in style, defeating defending Carling Currie Cup champions Suzuki Griquas 25-19 in a thrilling Round One encounter at a cold and gloomy DHL Stadium on Friday night.
Making their debut under the new Stormers XXIII identity following the rebranding from Western Province, the Cape side also began life under new head coach Tom Dawson-Squibb, who celebrated a memorable first victory in charge.
The home side made the perfect start when captain and flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis slotted an early penalty in the second minute to hand Stormers XXIII a 3-0 lead.
However, the defending champions soon found their rhythm. After sustained pressure inside the Stormers’ 22, former Stormers centre Sako Makata crossed for the opening try in the ninth minute to put Griquas ahead 7-3.
Things quickly went from bad to worse for the hosts as lock Gerbrandt Grobler and centre Cornel Smit were both shown yellow cards, leaving Stormers XXIII down to 13 players midway through the first half.
Griquas capitalised on the numerical advantage when Lourens Oosthuizen powered over from a driving maul to extend the visitors’ lead to 12-3.
Despite the setbacks, Stormers XXIII struck back just before the interval through hooker Vernon Paulo, who muscled his way over to reduce the deficit to 12-8 at half-time.
The second half belonged to the home side early on. Winger Mfundo Ndhlovu finished brilliantly in the corner to reclaim the lead before substitute Dominic Malgas added a penalty to make it 18-12.
Griquas refused to surrender, with Tiaan Lange crossing from another driving maul to edge the visitors back in front at 19-18. Discipline remained an issue for Stormers XXIII as flanker Divan Fuller became the third player sent to the sin bin, although Griquas also saw Derik Pretorius and later Carel van der Merwe receive yellow cards.
With time running out, Stormers XXIII produced the decisive moment. Scrumhalf Stefan Ungerer spotted a gap around the ruck and darted over in the 79th minute to seal a dramatic 25-19 victory, handing Dawson-Squibb a dream start and the Stormers XXIII a memorable first win under their new identity.
