Stormers maul Chiefs in Super 14

The Stormers stamped their title credentials on the Super 14 tournament by thrashing the Waikato Chiefs 49-15 in Hamilton yesterday. The Stormers, led by Schalk Burger, the Springboks' flanker, ruthlessly dismantled the Chiefs with a simple game plan that produced six tries, all of which were the result of superb interplay between backs and forwards. The victory moved the Stormers to the top of the table with 33 points. Fellow South African side the Bulls also have 33 points and play the Queensland Reds in Brisbane today. "We lost to the Force (two weeks ago) and we have concentrated on our accuracy and structure and we have really pitched up," Burger said in a televised interview. Bryan Habana, Duane Vermeulen, Tiaan Liebenberg, Sireli Naqelevuki, Andries Bekker, Deon Fourie all scored tries for the Stormers. In the day's other game, the Wellington Hurricanes overcame two yellow cards in the first half to claim a fighting 23-13 win over the ACT Brumbies. Nick Crosswell and Piri Weepu each spent 10 minutes in the sin-bin, but the Hurricanes were able to stay in contention despite their numerical disadvantage. Conrad Smith and Victor Vito scored tries for Hurricanes, while Aaron Cruden kicked 13 points.

* Agencies