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Springbok World Cup Winning Captain He is a school greeted his Stormers The team after a 28-point rally in the fourth quarter outpointed the Pumas 42-37 on Friday in a Super Rugby Unlocked thriller.
The starless home team looked ready to surprise a visiting team, including five World Cup winners, when they led 37-14 in the northeastern city of Mbombela with 19 minutes to go.
But the Stormers staged a brilliant comeback with elevated middle Tim Swiel converting attempts by mainstay Neethling Fouche, hooker Bongi Mbonambi, winger Leolin Zas and fullback Warrick Gelant to snatch the victory.
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Lazy striker Kolisi saw the spectacular comeback from the touchline after retiring injured during the first half with a suspected hamstring tear.
Stormers began his campaign last weekend with a six-point win over the Lions and they are second in the standings, one point behind the Cheetahs, who play Saturday.
The loss of bonus points for the Pumas, who ranked fourth, continued a fluctuating season in which they lost heavily to the Cheetahs and surprised the Griquas in away games before facing the Stormers.
“Faith and the spirit of never dying pushed us to the limit,” said Kolisi, who led South Africa to victory over England in the final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan last November.
“Faced with a great defeat, the boys threw everything they had into the game and it paid off with four attempts and four points.
‘Carried’
“However, for the second weekend in a row, we took too long to get going. We’re going to the Bulls next Saturday and we can’t afford to repeat that mistake.”
Pumas captain and blocking Pieter Jansen van Vuren made a sad figure reflecting on the late collapse after outscoring the Stormers by four attempts to two.
“We are very disappointed that we missed this game. After a great first half, I think we got a little carried away and started throwing the ball.
“Losing Eddie (flyhalf Fouché) to injury during the first half was a huge blow as he has been outstanding this season, although Niel (Marais) did not disappoint us as his replacement.”
Fouche kicked 13 points as the eager Pumas built a 30-14 halftime lead behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
That lead was extended to 23 points when winger Neil Maritz scored his second try of the game, while the Cougars were a man shortly after forward Jeandre Rudolph was sentenced to sin.
Then Fouche and Mbonambi scored easy attempts, Zas crossed the line unopposed and Gelant dodged three Pumas as he cut inside to score the game-winning try.
On Saturday, the Lions host the Cheetahs in Johannesburg (4:30 pm), the Bulls face the Sharks in Pretoria (7:00 pm), and the winless Griquas have a goodbye.
