The Brumbies narrowly hung on for a nail-biting 19-17 win over the Stormers at Cape Town’s Newlands Stadium this evening.
The match appeared destined for a try-less result with Brumbies flyhalf Matt Giteau and Stormers fullback Joe Pietersen going tit for tat in a 77-minute penalty goal shootout before two tries in the final three minutes of the match ensured an edge-of-your-seat climax for the crowd of 38,367.
Locked at in a tense and tight arm wrestle at 12-all, George Smith crossed for his second try in as many weeks when he intercepted a Stormers pass from prop Brok Harris on the 22-metre line before outpacing centre Juan de Jongh to touch down underneath the posts.
Giteau’s conversion gave his side an apparent 19-12 victory until Stormers flanker Pieter Louw turned the match on its head with a try down a short blindside after the siren. Pietersen needed to convert from six metres in from touch but dragged the attempt wide, allowing the Brumbies to record their first win at Newlands since 2004.
After having an early Louw try disallowed in the seventh minute, the Stormers were the first on the scoresheet through the boot of Pietersen seven minutes later.
Giteau responded with three points through an offside penalty at the nine-minute mark. A flawless goal-kicking display capped off the night for the ACT pivot while his – and fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper’s – tactical kicking in general play ensured that the Stormers were playing out of their own end for long periods of the match.
Outside centre Stirling Mortlock’s efforts also hindered the Stormers campaign with his rushed defence continually bringing down Western Province runners or forcing them into mistakes.
The two goalkickers traded penalties in the 22nd and 28th minutes to advance the score to 6-all at half time before adding a further two penalties apiece to lock up the scores at 12-all in the 66th minute.
In what was a classic match of patience between the two sides, it would be an act of individual brilliance that would be the only thing to separate the two sides with Smith obliging three minutes from full time.
Brumbies Head Coach Andy Friend said he was pleased to be returning to Australia with two wins from their first three matches on the road.
"One of the really pleasing things about the performance was the way we stuck to what we wanted to do as a group," he said.
"We said that an opportunity would come and it came at the 77th minute for us and we took it."
"We were disappointed with the way we dropped that restart and allowed them back in with a penalty and the gods were on our side for that kick not to go over.
"We’ll take (that win) but we realise we’ve got to be better than that."
The Brumbies return for Canberra tomorrow where they will face the Lions in their first home match of the season at Canberra Stadium on Friday, 5 March.
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