The DHL Stormers claimed a 39-22 bonus point win against the Hollywoodbets Sharks in their first home game of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship season at DHL Stadium on Saturday.
It was a pulsating match between two teams packed full of Springboks, with the DHL Stormers outscoring the Durban side by six tries to three in the end.
The home side started with intensity and it was not long before they entered the 22. A powerful maul earned advantage before they slung it wide to Seabelo Senatla, who scored in the corner and then celebrated with a Flik Flak somersault made famous by Breyton Paulse.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu missed the touchline conversion but was on target shortly afterwards with a penalty, which came as the result of a strong scrum.
The visitors responded with a try from flank Manu Tshituka and a penalty from replacement Gianni Lombard to level matters at 8-8, but those were to be their last points of the first half.
Two maul tries from the hosts – the first from Hacjivah Dayimani and the second on the stroke of half-time from Andre-Hugo Venter – put them firmly in control at the break with a 22-8 advantage.
The DHL Stormers had the bonus point wrapped up early in the second half as Leolin Zas picked up from the base to dive over after a strong run from Siya Kolisi into the 22.
Dayimani had his second try as a monster scrum walked over the tryline and the No.8 was on hand to dot down and make it a double.
The visitors hit back with a maul try and followed that up with a seven-pointer from Phepsi Buthelezi to cut the DHL Stormers’ lead to 34-22 heading into the last 20 minutes.
The hosts responded with another big maul, as replacement hooker JJ Kotze scored from a line-out drive that started just inside the 22.
The scorers:
For DHL Stormers:
Tries: Senatla, Dayimani 2, Venter, Zas, Kotze
Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 3
Pen: Feinberg-Mngomezulu
For Hollywoodbets Sharks:
Tries: Tshituka, Ramao, Buthelezi
Cons: Lombard 2
Pen: Lombard
DHL Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Neethling Fouché, 19 Riley Norton, 20 Connor Evans, 21 Deon Fourie, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Wandisile Simelane.
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The Interschools Rivalries (Paarl Boys vs. Paarl Gimnasium): Recognized globally as one of the largest schoolboy sporting events in the world, the annual “Interschools” derby between Paarl Boys’ High and Paarl Gimnasium draws up to 25,000 spectators to the stadium, alongside live national television broadcasts. The century-old rivalry spans rugby, netball, hockey, and chess, representing a level of schoolboy sports tradition and atmosphere rarely matched anywhere on Earth.
