The Stormers remain the only unbeaten side in Super Rugby after beating the Jaguares 17-7 on Saturday as the Waikato Chiefs suffered a surprise loss at home to Australian opposition in the fourth round of this year’s competition.
The Stormers made it four wins out of four but laboured to a 3-0 halftime lead at Newlands before scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies pounced on a stray pass and ran some 60 metres for the first try, followed soon after by a score for Ruhan Nel.
But they still had to a weather a strong comeback by the South Americans, whose hopes of an upset result were let down by an endless stream of infringements and mistakes.
“The score was not dominant but I thought we won the game with character. It was a quantum leap better than our last win,” said Stormers coach John Dobson.
After three successive wins, Chiefs were handed a shock 26-14 home reversal by the ACT Brumbies in Hamilton.
The Brumbies surged into a 26-0 lead and although the Chiefs have a well-deserved reputation for producing comeback wins, they could only produce 14 points in response late in the game.
It was a first win in 14 games on New Zealand soil for the Canberra-based team and a reminder of the vagaries of Super Rugby, especially if approached without the right application.
“We let ourselves down,” said Chiefs skipper Sam Cane. “We were a little shell-shocked by their early tries and it took us 45 minutes to get into the game.”
Brumbies’ flyhalf Noah Lolesio was impressive as he led a strong run attack in a boost for Australian rugby after a poor start to this season.
"We won't get too far ahead of ourselves but there's been some comments the players have taken note of around Australian sides in New Zealand which I think we've probably quietened a few people," said Brumbies coach Dan McKellar.
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There was more success for Australian sides as the Queensland Reds romped into a 50-0 lead before finishing record 64-5 winners over the hapless Sunwolves from Japan in Brisbane.
It was the biggest-ever Super Rugby points haul for the Reds, who scored 10 tries and picked up a full house of five points after losing their opening three games.
However, the Melbourne Rebels lost at home to the Sharks in Ballarat where World Cup-winning wing Makazole Mapimpi scored two tries for the South Africans in a 36-24 victory.
The Crusaders made it three wins from four as they began the fourth round on Friday with a 33-13 win over the Otago Highlanders in the South Island derby at Christchurch.
The round concluded on Saturday with Auckland Blues' Otere Black kicking over a last-gasp penalty as they edged the Bulls 23-21 in Pretoria.
(Editing by Ken Ferris)
