Crusaders keep Stormers at bay

The Stormers and Crusaders met at Newlands on Saturday, 30 March 2013, with the men from Cape Town unable to break through the Crusaders defence, giving the visitors a 19-14 win.

The game was accompanied by a packed Newlands crowd, which provided a great atmosphere for the exciting match-up.

The first points came in the 9^th minute, when Joe Pietersen slotted a penalty from directly in front of the posts.

A brilliant driving maul off the back of a lineout opened up the first opportunity for a try, and Kolisi controlled the ball excellently to crash over the line in the 15^th minute. Pietersen was unsuccessful with the conversion, leaving the Stormers with an 8-0 lead.

Pietersen had another shot at goal, and slotted the 22-minute penalty with ease.

The Crusaders started building momentum, and Matt Todd grabbed the team’s first 5-pointer, as the flanker received an off-load to race away and dive under the posts.

A penalty just before half-time saw Bleyendaal add another 3, making the score 11-13 to the Crusaders heading into the break.

The first second-half points came in the 54th minute, when a Duane Vermeulen yellow-card allowed Bleyendaal to slot a third conversion.

The Stormers then hit back with another Pietersen penalty, putting the score at 14-16 to the Crusaders.

After another Bleyendaal penalty pushed the visitors 19-14 ahead, the Crusaders managed to hold out against the Stormers to secure their third win of the season.

Scorers:

Stormers:

Tries: Kolisi
Cons:
Pens: Pietersen (3)

Crusaders:

Tries: Todd
Cons: Bleyendaal
Pens: Bleyendaal (4)