The Stormers let slip a 13-0 lead as two-time defending champions La Rochelle mounted a stunning comeback to edge the hosts 22-21, in a dramatic Champions Cup round of 16, in Cape Town on Saturday.
In the pool stage, the South African club had defeated La Rochelle on the same ground by a score of 21-20, and the Round of 16 match nearly had the same ending with Manie Libbok lining up a last-minute conversion which would have given his side the win.
But he was unable to find his mark in the strong wind, sending La Rochelle to the quarter-final as they continue their search for a third straight title.
In a tense first-half, it was the South African club who took their chances with Libbok kicking two penalties in the opening period.
Slew of penalty offences
The second came after La Rochelle had conceded a slew of penalty offences, second row Will Skelton the unlucky player punished with 10 in the sin-bin.
Stormers took advantage of the man advantage to score the game’s first try, scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies finishing off a breakaway move under the posts as Libbok added two more.
Despite a well-positioned penalty, La Rochelle headed in point-less at the break after flyhalf Antoine Hastoy struggled to adapt for the wind, but Libbok had no problem adding another three five minutes into the second period for the South African hosts.
But the TOP14 club soon woke up and muscled their way over the line for their first score, prop Louis Penverne dotting down on his Champions Cup debut.
Hastoy added the extras and another three from the tee soon followed, the champions now less than a converted score away from Stormers and with both the wind and momentum at their back.
Soon it was Stormers’ turn to go down to 14 after their own stretch of ill-discipline, Marcel Theunissen sent to the bin. Almost immediately, the visitors drew level through captain Grégory Alldritt, before Hastoy gave them the lead for the first time in the game with the conversion.
Stormers thought they had taken back the lead almost straight away via centre Damian Willemse, but the TMO soon silenced the DHL Stadium crowd after spotting a knock on in the build up.
Things only got worse when La Rochelle went up the other end of the field and picked up a crucial third try, this time replacement prop Joel Scalvi forcing his way through.
Stormers roar back to life
Hastoy was unable to convert, and suddenly DHL Stormers roared back into life.
The situation began to mimic that from December’s game, with the South African club knowing a late converted try would win it for them against the champions once more.
Willemse, bearing down on the whitewash, was denied just before the line, but Dillyn Leyds was sent to the sin-bin, in the process as the pressure on the La Rochelle line was only increasing.
Libbok eventually kicked the ball out wide, where wing Suleiman Hartzenberg was waiting to dot down and leave Libbok – incredibly – with the chance to win it again.
Yet this time, there was no fairytale ending, and the ball sailed wide of the posts.
The champions, having been 13-0 down, had found a way to win – they will now face one of Leicester Tigers or Leinster Rugby in the quarter-final as they continue their search for three titles in a row.
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