FULL-TIME: Stormers 43-21 Edinburgh
A tough one to take for Edinburgh in Cape Town who battled on in the face of a scintillating Stormers side who put in a display characteristic of a side which hasn’t lost at home since last season’s final.
A tough one to take for Edinburgh in Cape Town who battled on in the face of a scintillating Stormers side who put in a display characteristic of a side which hasn’t lost at home since last season’s final.
Edinburgh turnover ball and win a penalty. The clock is in the red but they opt to hoof the ball long for a lineout.
Possession is retained and the visitors look to salvage some more pride in the game in attack.
De Bruin is sent to the bin at the scrum. Edinburgh make a front-row change (Venter on, Watson off) and will defend the line with 14 to finish the game…
A minute to go in the game and the Stormers have one last attack from their scrum on the Edinburgh 5m line.
Matt Currie fills on the wing and crashes the Stormers attack in touch, sparing Edinburgh from another score, who are not for relenting here in SA.
Edinburgh penalised at a scum – ultimately handing a 5m lineout to the hosts who launch the ball right to the tail, drop the ball down to the on-rushing Roos who piles over the line.
Libbok converts (43-21).
Fantastic conversion from Ben Healy (36-21).
A well worked score from Paddy Harrison who joins the back of the maul after a clean throw, grips the ball from Ben Muncaster at the back and dives over for a third score.
Changes rung by both sides at a break in play. Edinburgh in possession after some a patient spell with the ball – Hamish Watson and replacement hooker Paddy Harrison both contributing big carries and making good yards. Better from the visitors.
Evan Roos powers his way over off the lineout – bursting through would-be tacklers to touch down. Dynamic attacking from the home forwards. Libbok is back on but can’t add the extras (36-14).
Edinburgh not giving up here and Jamie Hodgson is inches from a touchdown but the Stormers scramble D is equal to the opportunity and forces the ball loose, and turnover.
They look to run it from behind their own try line – and very nearly break free out wide (95m from the ER line!) but the final pass is knocked on.
No conversion so the score remains as is (31-14).
Stormers attack really is on fire today – quick ball after quick ball is followed by a cut through the middle before the ball goes wide to the wing to Hartzenburg, who does a quick stop-start and then races the the try line for the his hat-trick. Incredibly clinical (31-14).
The Stormers maul is set up quickly from the lineout and they start the march forward but are then thwarted by Edinburgh’s relentlessness on the try-line once more. Impressive stuff from Edinburgh but almost impossible to keep up.
Perfectly placed 50:22 from Stormers put Edinburgh under instant pressure but more excellent goal-line defence from Edinburgh holds them out on the try line.
Hodgson is pinged for offside so the hosts opt for the 5m lineout…
The second-half is back underway here in South Africa (26-14).
Edinburgh will be ruing that late score after doing so well to keep in it with a try two minutes from the whistle, as we bring an end to an entertaining half of rugby in South Africa.
Edinburgh capitalise on a Stormers error that results in prime field position for the lineout.
The ball goes right to the tail and Big Bill is there to take on the ball and bolt through to score from a lovely attacking move (19-12).
Libbok can’t add the extras (19-7).
Wing Leolin Zas scoops up loose ball after a scrappy sequence ends in his favour and he races through to the Edinburgh line unchallenged (19-7).
There’s enough separation between hand and ball, and no press, visible on the camera angles so the on-field decision has been overturned (14-7).
Referee checking the grounding on a Stormers touchdown – ‘on field decision is try’ – we await the verdict…
Ben Healy sends a long clearance down field but there’s plenty of time on the ball for the Stormers recipient who restarts the host’s attack once again…
Wandisile Simelane scythes through the middle on first phase attack from the lineout on the half way line and blazes a trail to the Edinburgh 5m.
There’s a feeling of inevitability as the big SA men take over and batter the last line of Edinburgh defence but the visitors front up heroically and force another knock on.
Stormers tails are up after a snipes from scrum-half Paul de Wet gets their attack going on the front foot, before the backs and forwards mix it up on their way to the Edinburgh 5m line.
Edinburgh scramble with discipline and the hosts knock on under defensive pressure. ER then earn a free-kick at the resulting scrum much to their relief and send the ball down field. Good outcome.
Remarkable Libbok conversion from the touchline squeaks through the uprights to convert the two pointer (14-7).
Stormers retake the lead as quickly as they lost it and it’s that man Hartzenburg who’s again on the end of some lightening quick attack from the hosts (12-7).
The conversion is good and Stormers add the two (7-0).
Hartzenburg is on the end of a scintillating attack from the home side – two or three superb offloads with Edinburgh scrambling before Libbok spots the opening on the far side and dinks over the perfectly weighted cross-field kick (5-0).
Middle third has dominated the early part of this game as contestable kicks and a territorial pressure are the order of the afternoon thus far.
WP Nel is pinged at the scrum and Libbok looks to send the resulting penalty downfield for a territorial advantage, but he over cooks it and we’re back where we stared with another scrum, which Edinburgh secure and look to build from the half.
Stormers not looking shy when it comes to putting some width on the ball, shipping it wide before putting some toe on it for a foot race, but it’s out in the full and and we have the game’s first scrum featuring the league’s oldest prop-opponent pairing.
Stormers #10 Manny Libbock has a crack at a cross field kick after some heavy lifting from the big men but it bounces into touch – the first of many kicks between the sides in the early exchanges.
Bean Healy hoists the ball high and we’re underway at the DHL Stadium!
COME ON EDINBURGH!
Emiliano Boffelli is out (back spasm).
Chris Dean moves from the replacements to the wing, with Wes Goosen shifting to full-back. Debutant Jake Henry moves to the opposite wing.
James Lang comes onto the bench at 23.
Our match preview will keep you informed ahead of kick-off at DHL Stadium.
We caught up Wes Goosen ahead of the afternoon’s encounter in Cape Town – watch the full episode of All In below:
Hello and welcome to the Galbraith Match Centre for today’s BKT United Rugby Championship match-up with DHL Stormers at DHL Stadium (kick-off 3.05pm GMT/ 5.05pm local).
The match is live on Viaplay 1 or stay here for whistle to whistle updates straight from kick-off.
Kick-off 3:05 pm