CAPE TOWN COUNTDOWN - TWO PLAYS SEVEN

ROAD TO THE PLAY-OFFS: DHL STORMERS (2ND)

SEASON SNAPSHOT

The DHL Stormerswon 12 matches and drew two to finish on 61 log points, good for second on theVodacom United Rugby Championship standings and first in the South AfricanShield.

It is aremarkable finish for a team that started the season with one win from fivematches, the last of which was a 37-19 defeat at home to the Emirates Lions inDecember.

That match gaveway to a break of almost eight weeks and apparently time off was all the DHLStormers required.

At theresumption of the league, the DHL Stormers travelled to fortress LoftusVersfeld where they edged the Vodacom Bulls 30-26, next followed a 22-22 drawagainst the Cell C Sharks in Durban, victory against their coastal rivals in aCape Town rematch and finally sweet revenge in a 32-10 romp against theEmirates Lions at Emirates Airline Park.

The strikingturnaround in form suffered a setback in Galway when the DHL Stormers concededtwo yellow cards in a 19-17 loss to Connacht, but they responded to the bittertaste of defeat with a renewed sense of purpose at home that sparked a run ofseven consecutive victories before the Cape side beat the Scarlets 26-21 inLlanelli to end the regular season and book a quarter-final at DHL Stadium.

STAR PERFORMER

Manie Libbok wasthe top point scorer in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship with a haul of148 points. The flyhalf converted 32 of the DHL Stormers’ 60 tries, kicked 23penalties and scored three tries. Libbok’s biggest input was 14 points in a24-10 win at the Dragons but his passes and kicks were crucial in Leolin Zasscoring the most tries in the league with wing teammate Seabelo Senatla closebehind.   

DECISIVE WIN

The DHL Stormerswere in sixth place when they hosted second-place Ulster in Round 14, and theIrish team was riding the momentum of seven successive wins.

The Ulster packincluded former DHL Stormers stalwart Duane Vermeulen while the hostschannelled much of their attack through the successor to the No 8 jersey, EvanRoos.

The apprehensionabout Ulster seemed to have been misplaced when the hosts bolted into an early14-0 lead and Libbok kicked two penalties to take the DHL Stormers 20-13 clearat half time. However, the touring team showed their class in the second half.Precise kicks put the DHL Stormers on the back foot, limiting them to threepoints as they were pinned to their 22 where they tackled for their lives andheld on for a telling 23-20 win.

NEXT:

Quarter-finalversus Edinburgh at DHL Stadium, Cape Town (4 June)

ROAD TO THE PLAY-OFFS: EDINBURGH RUGBY (7TH)

SEASON SNAPSHOT

If the Scottishcapital had hosted all Vodacom United Rugby Championship matches this season,it is logical to assume Edinburgh would be hosting a quarter-final instead ofmigrating south to face the DHL Stormers in Cape Town.

Edinburgh lostas many home matches as Leinster and the DHL Stormers, that is to say one,and ended the regular season with a 28-11 victory against Glasgow atMurrayfield for a record seven wins and one draw in nine matches athome.

Turning theirrespective home grounds into a fortress pushed Leinster and the DHL Stormers tothe top of the table but Edinburgh finished seventh after putting Glasgow tothe sword.

Miserable awayform rained on Edinburgh’s campaign as six of nine expeditions resulted indefeat. Having started the season with six wins from eight matches, Edinburgh slumpedto a run of three consecutive losses at Ospreys, Leinster, Munster. Afterhammering Connacht at Murrayfield, Edinburgh then punctuated two more awaylosses with a memorable victory in Durban before salvaging their playoff dreamswith home wins against Zebre and Glasgow.

STAR PERFORMER

EmilianoBoffelli edges flyhalf Blair Kinghorn for the honour as the fullback was themore prolific goal-kicker of the two.

Boffelli andKinghorn each scored six tries in 12 appearances for Edinburgh, but Boffelli contributedan additional 72 points off the tee, finishing among the URC’s most accuratesharpshooters by converting almost 90 percent of his kicks at goal.

The 40-cappedArgentina back scored 21 points in a big win against Connacht and 13 in thedecisive win that pushed Edinburgh above Glasgow on the final standings.

DECISIVEWIN

Facing a crisisof confidence after away losses at Ospreys, Leinster, Munster and Glasgow,Edinburgh collected themselves for a journey to Durban where they blew the CellC Sharks out of the water.

Heavy rainensured water was in oversupply at Hollywoodbets Kings Park when the teams metin Round 14. And, aided by the inaccurate kicking of Cell C Sharks flyhalfCurwin Bosch and a yellow card to centre Marius Louw, Edinburgh slipped andslid to a 21-5 win thanks to tries from flyhalf Blair Kinghorn and fullbackEmiliano Boffeli.

NEXT:

Quarter-final2 versus DHL Stormers at DHL Stadium, Cape Town (4 June)