Taylor-made win sees Crusaders down Stormers
The Canterbury Crusaders snatched a last-gasp 14-13 win over the Western Stormers Saturday to get their faltering Super 15 season back on track. Fly-half Tom Taylor was the hero for the seven-time champions, landing a penalty with six minutes to go that sealed the victory after debutant Kieron Fonotia's try put the Crusaders within striking distance. Taylor also produced a try-saving tackle to mow down the Stormers' Nizaam Carr with a minute on the clock as the match reached a nail-biting finale. The Crusaders were fortunate to score their first win of the season against a Stormers' outfit that produced a stunning defensive effort to defuse the home side's All Black-studded backline for much of the match. They looked set to lose their first ever home match to a South African side after dominating possession and territory but repeatedly bouncing off a solid wall of Stormers' defence. Springbok flanker Schalk Burger said he felt the Stormers had done enough to claim victory when Damian de Allende scored a converted try early in the second half to put them up 13-3. Burger, who had an outstanding game, pounced on a sloppy Willi Heinz kick and offloaded to Jean de Villiers, whose chip kick was scooped up by de Allende on the run. "We did enough to get a victory but unfortunately we were one point light tonight. Obviously they were desperate," he said. The Crusaders remained persistent and were finally rewarded with a try in the 68th minute when Fonotia bustled over the line, dragging two defenders with him. But the Stormers retained a narrow 13-11 lead when Taylor's conversion attempt drifted wide. He made no mistake when Michael Rhodes conceded an offside penalty, nailing the kick to give the Crusaders the narrowest of wins. Burger said the Stormers, who enjoyed a one-point win against the Wellington Hurricanes last week, would take confidence from the fact that they had come so close to upsetting the vaunted Crusaders. "It was a massive effort not to get a victory and we'll have to bounce back from that and bring the same intensity against the Chiefs next week," he said.
