Last-gasp Libbok conversion secures momentous win

There were memories evoked of another momentous game played here at the DHL Stadium the season before last as Manie Libbok kicked a last gasp touchline conversion to earn the DHL Stormers a famous 21-20 win over mighty La Rochelle on Saturday.

For a long time it looked as though too many soft moments in this first home Investec Champions Cup match of the season were going to cost the hosts against the reigning two times champions.

And indeed, La Rochelle looked like they had the game won when they were initially awarded a try as La Rochelle capitalised on one of those now habitual Stormers mistakes to go into a 27-14 lead.

With just a few minutes left it looked like game, set and match in favour of La Rochelle, who came out snorting after their opening loss to Leinster on their home ground last weekend.

But no, the game was turned on its head when the TMO picked up a head to head clash.

La Rochelle were suddenly down to 14 men and the try was wiped out to reinstate it as a six point game.

From the penalty the Stormers played their way into La Rochelle territory, and on a day when their driving maul just hadn’t looked like working against their physical opponents, the Stormers forwards piled their way over the line for reserve hooker Andre-Hugo Venter to dot down.

It was way out on the right, it could hardly be any closer to the touchline, but it was to Libbok that the Stormers turned to win the game as the sands of time ran out to nothing and the hooter sounded.

CASE OF HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF

Just as he had done from the opposite touchline in the semifinal against Ulster in the inaugural Vodacom United Rugby Championship season.

It was a case of history repeating itself for Libbok and his team, as amidst scenes of unbearable tension Libbok struck the ball straight and true and before the flags went up the Stormers flyhalf was already celebrating.

It was a cruel blow against La Rochelle, who are now fighting for their lives in Pool 4 after two defeats, and will be kicking themselves for allowing the Stormers to stay in the game during their dominant first-half performance.

At the same time though, the Stormers would have challenged more strongly for the win earlier had it not been for the many soft moments that cost them.

It started from the opening three minutes, when a sloppy attempt to run out of their own territory led to a La Rochelle penalty that was kicked for the visitors to take a 3-0 lead.

And then it all too easily became 10-0 when hooker Pierre Bougarit thundered down the right touchline through some really ineffectual defence from a lineout that was way too far away to be a threat and scrumhalf Tawera Kerr-Barlow was on his inside to take the pass and go over untouched.

VISITORS WON THE COLLISIONS

La Rochelle won the collisions and they won the loose scrums and the mauls, and for a while it looked like it might be an embarrassing home defeat for the Stormers in their first big game on the new hybrid DHL Stadium pitch.

La Rochelle were described by Stormers coach John Dobson beforehand as a monster team and they are in the quite literal sense.

They have massive men playing for them and coming off the bench and for much of the first half the Stormers forwards were just outmuscled and wrestled off the ball.

However, the game was played in what would have been unseasonal heat for the visitors, and the longer the Stormers stayed in the game the more it looked possible they might challenge their opponents.

And with Damian Willemse playing well at inside centre and being particularly difficult for La Rochelle to stop, the Cape side did succeed in moving the La Rochelle big men about, though maybe not to the extent they hoped for.

Their first real scoring opportunity came when the Stormers were very effective playing penalty advantage to the blindside and after an attack up the left touchline scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies knocked on in the tackle with not much in front of him.

That was in the 26th minute, and it was 10 minutes later that Libbok raised the flags for the first time to make it 10-3.

However, then came one of those soft moments, though for me it was more a refereeing error, when Leolin Zas was penalised from the restart, and the 10 point margin was restored for the visitors.

The Stormers though had one more big attack left in them in the half and when it broke down beneath the posts captain Deon Fourie had little hesitation in asking Libbok to kick for posts to make it 13-6 to La Rochelle at halftime.

SECOND LA ROCHELLE TRY WAS QUESTIONABLE

Another penalty just after the break made it 13-9 and the Stormers were back in the game only for that momentum to be relinquished when the Stormers made the cardinal error of not playing to the whistle after they assumed a ball had been knocked on.

La Rochelle scored in the corner through No 8 Yoann Tanga and it was suddenly 20-9 to La Rochelle even though there had been what looked suspiciously like a knock-on from former Stormers player Dillyn Leyds in the buildup.

That was after 46 minutes and it was a long way back for the Stormers, only for Libbok to produce a great cross kick after a lineout drive had broken down and Ben Loader went over in the right corner.

Libbok wasn’t able to kick that one but he was on target from exactly the same position when it mattered to give the Stormers a victory which, because of how it was achieved and who they were playing against, should be remembered for a long time.

SCORES

DHL Stormers 21 - Tries: Ben Loader and Andre-Hugo Venter; Conversion: Manie Libbok; Penalties: Manie Libbok 3.

La Rochelle 20 - Tries: Tawera Kerr-Barlow and Yann Tanga; Conversions: Antoine Hastoy 2; Penalties: Antoine Hastoy 2.