Reds pounce as Stormers unravel once again

The Stormers are now unravelling in familiar fashion in Australasia after suffering a third consecutive defeat in their Super Rugby campaign, losing 12-24 to the Reds in Brisbane on Friday.

It wasn’t a match of particularly high quality, but the home side’s superior finishing and fine defence proved enough to carry them over the line.

Meanwhile, the Capetonians’ failings remain familiar – they created a lot of opportunities, but simply don’t have the tools to round them off consistently.

Who was the star in this match?

The hulking Samu Kerevi was a familiarly menacing presence for the home side, causing massive headaches in midfield and also scoring the opening try. Yet the real star was the nippy scrumhalf Tate McDermott, who has made a very promising start to his Super Rugby career. The 20-year-old former sevens representative’s game-management was good and his attacking instincts red-hot.

Key moments and themes

• Debates over the quality of rugby in the tournament remain prevalent and this match won’t silence any of those critics. A half-time scoreline of 0-0 said everything that needed to be said as handling errors and inaccuracy plagued both sides. The Stormers clearly tried to play with attacking intent, but their attacking structure was lacking, particularly when both their props were in playmaking positions and knocked on.
• The Stormers’ continued lapses of concentration cost them dearly again. Captain Siya Kolisi had placed them under pressure by being sin binned for a professional foul on the half-time whistle. The Reds took full advantage as they exploited their extra man by scoring twice. Hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa’s try was swift in his execution and ruthless in punching holes in the defence.
• While the Stormers were unlucky with two tries being ruled out by the TMO early in the first half, they were their own worst enemies on attack. The two tries they did score attested to their ability to capitalise if they felt up to it. Herschel Jantjies’ appearance from the bench also made a marked difference as he sparked various attacking moves.

Point scorers:

Reds – Tries: Samu Kerevi, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Tate McDermott. Conversions: Bryce Hegarty (3). Penalty: Hegarty.

Stormers – Tries: Kobus van Dyk, Damian de Allende. Conversion: Jean-Luc du Plessis.

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