Lachie Turner scored a brace of tries for the Waratahs
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Matches: New South Wales Waratahs 12 - 6 Stormers

Players/Officials: Lachie Turner | Luke Watson

Tournaments/Tours: Super 14

Teams: Australia | New South Wales Waratahs | South Africa | Stormers

The Waratahs kept up their charge for the Super 14 play-offs with a deserved 12-6 win over a limited Stormers side at Sydney Football Stadium.

Despite the recent criticism of their conservative forwards game, the game was won for the Waratahs by two moments of brilliance from their backs. Winger Lachie Turner ended up with a brace of tries, the first all of his own making and the second converted after some sublime footwork from replacement fly-half Kurtley Beale.

The game was dominated throughout by defence, but the Waratahs showed early glimpses of a new attacking mindset with good breaks by Turner and his opposite wing Lote Tuqiri. It took only five minutes for Turner's invention to pay off. He collected a loose clearance from the Stormers Peter Grant and after stepping his way through three non-existent tackles he chipped the defence before collecting to score.

As the game progressed chance became few and far between, as the Waratahs struggled to press the excellent Stormers defence after their early lapse. Grant sent over a penalty after 24 minutes to reduce his side's arrears to four, but the only real highlight for the South Africans was another superb performance from Luke Watson at the base of the scrum.

After Grant's penalty, it took a further 40 minutes for the game to produce another score. Again it was from the boot of Grant, drawing his side to within a single point after Waratahs fly-half Dan Halangahu had failed with several attempts of his own.

With the game in the balance, it was the skill of replacement Beale that settled it for the Waratahs. Collecting the ball in midfield he produced some fine footwork to free up space before chipping over the defence. Turner hared on to the ball, hacking on expertly before grounding for an ugly win.

Waratahs: Norton-Knight; Turner, Horne, Carter, Tuqiri, Halangahu, Burgess; Robinson, Polota-Nau, Palmer, Mumm, Caldwell, Mowen, Waugh (captain), Palu

Replacements: Fitzpatrick, Kepu, Thomson, Doherty, Sheehan, Beale, Tahu

Stormers: Jantjes; Human, Bobo, de Villiers (captain), Naqelevuki, Grant, Januarie; Blaauw, Brits, Mujati, Fondse, Venter, Burger, Vermeulen, Watson

Replacements: Liebenberg, Moller, Lobberts, Louw, Duvenage, De Waal , Des Fountain