Springbok fullback Damian Willemse put on a masterclass at flyhalf, inspiring his DHL Stormers team to a 34-19 win over Irish province Munster in Cape Town on Saturday.
Willemse’s ability to defeat defenders, twist his way out of tackles and always be a threat on attack, while being more than solid on defence, made him an easy choice for man of the match as the Stormers’ slow poison worked in overdrive when it mattered to claim the five points on offer.
The Stormers end their Munster hoodoo at the DHL Stadium 👻#VURC pic.twitter.com/5ckzOA7W0X
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 19, 2024
The win lifted the Stormers off the bottom of the log into 10th spot, something that will no doubt overjoy their fans and sent out a message that they will be a dangerous side for the rest of the season.
DAMIAN WILLEMSE 🤯
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 19, 2024
A master in the DHL Stadium kitchen 😤🔥
📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/0LFWAu9dBo
What must have been the most pleasing was the way they closed out the game, even when Munster threatened to come back at the end. Superb game control set it up, and then Willemse slotted a perfect penalty, and a minute later stabbed a superb drop goal to put the game beyond the seven-point buffer.
Suleiman Hartenzburg tuns on the gas 😤🔥
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 19, 2024
📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/R5s2NUGIVO
With Munster desperately trying to get back into the game, Ruan Nel intercepted to get the second of his tries on the night and put the game beyond any reasonable doubt.
The celebrations among the players were easy to understand. Munster beat them in a final two seasons ago at the same venue and, traditionally, their matches have been slugfests where the Cape side has struggled to turn domination into big victories.
Add to that the pressure of being at the bottom of the table - albeit at the start of the season - and the victory will be the elixir that John Dobson’s team were looking for.
There were some big performances as well from the likes of Neethling Fouche, Andre-Hugo Venter, Marcel Theunissen and Paul de Wet, while Warrick Gelant looked as dangerous as ever from the back.
Yet there were also moments when their penchant to attack almost cost them, and often was the reason Munster stayed so close, while again there were some perplexing refereeing decisions that would have confused most at the field.
POTENTIALLY COSTLY LOSS FOR MUNSTER
But that shouldn’t take away from a solid victory for the Stormers, and the fact they let Munster leave Cape Town without a bonus point could well turn out to be massive later in the season.
The home side opened the scoring thanks to their defensive pressure, which forced Munster flyhalf Jack Crowley to throw a loose pass which was intercepted by winger Suleiman Hartzenberg, who ran a good 65 metres to stretch away from the chasing defence and get his side on the board.
Munster hit back four minutes later thanks to some sloppiness by the Stormers. First Damian Willemse had a clearance kick charged down, and while Leolin Zas managed to secure the ball close to his line, Munster’s forwards overwhelmed him and Tom Farrell gobbled up the easiest of passes to score a try.
Munster added a second in the 26th minute when reserve hooker Eoghan Clarke peeled off the back of a maul to surge over the line and put his side into the lead.
The Stormers were denied close to the line in the 32nd minute, only for Theunissen to take a quick tap and put his head down, burrowing under defenders to cross the line and let his side go into the halftime break with a small lead.
It looked as if the Stormers were going to pull away after flooding the Munster red zone with phases, with Nel going over for the first try of the second half as some quick passing from Willemse and Zas saw the ball beat the defenders and put the midfielder in for his try.
Munster weren’t done yet, although they were fortunate to be in the Stormers’ 22-metre area thanks to a high tackle call from Mike Adamson that replays showed was never high. From the ensuing lineout, the Irish side pounded the line, with Coombes drifting just enough to beat the defence and bring his side back to a one-score game.
But when in the last 10 minutes, the pressure was on, Willemse stepped up. First with the penalty goal and then the beauty of a drop goal, relieving the pressure on his side with every kick.
When Nel intercepted for his second, the celebrations began and the 20 000-odd fans that turned up knew their side was back from the depths and would be a danger to all this season.
SCORERS
DHL Stormers - tries: Suleiman Hartzenberg, Marcel Theunissen, Ruan Nel (2). Conversions: Damian Willemse (4). Penalty: Willemse. Drop goal: Willemse