Smart Stormers end Brumbies’

First there was the smart rugby and then to top it off there wasthe audacious touch of magic to place the seal on the perfect nightout for the DHL Stormers as the Cape side comprehensively endedthe Brumbies’ unbeaten run in Vodacom Super Rugby with a 31-11win at Newlands on Saturday.The smart part of the game was the strategy that the Stormers scripted for the first hour, with 70 percent of the match until thatpoint being played in the Brumbies’ half of the field.Little chip kicks kept turning the Brumbies, who frequently found themselves scrambling, which was a far cry from their solid performances of the opening three rounds.It was the perfect plan from Stormers coach Robbie Fleck, who correctly surmised that the Brumbies wouldn’t be the same force ifthey were denied attacking opportunities from set phase in the opposition half.The Brumbies showed how lethal they could be from set-phase attacks when Tevita Kuridrani burst through from a lineout take inside his own half and then set Henry Speight in for the try with an excellent under-hand pass that travelled 20 metres.But they were denied opportunities to repeat that by a tigerish Stormers defensive effort.The Stormers’ kicking wasn’t always great, but the chasing frequently was, and that was the secret to the Stormers’ success on the day.The audacious came in the form of a Schalk Burger cross-field kick that found reserve loose-forward Sikhumbuzo Notshe near the right corner and prop Vincent Kock drove over from the loose scrum that formed on the Brumbies line.That perfectly-executed kick will be something that Burger should dine out on for a long time.