Stormers expected dogfight

Port Elizabeth - Stormers coach Allister Coetzee expected a tough battle against the Kings and that is exactly what they were given in their 24-12 victory in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

"That was our fourth win on the trot and I am happy with our victory and I always knew it would be hard work at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium," Coetzee said.

"When I arrived here I thought it was Newlands with all our supporters out there.

"I knew it would be a dogfight in PE because the Kings had targeted this game to get their first South African derby win."

The Kings pushed the Stormers hard and trailed only 14-12 with 10 minutes remaining before a penalty by Elton Jantjies and a converted try by skipper Deon Fourie sealed the win for the Stormers.

"I warned during the week that we could just not rock up here and take a win and I knew it would be hard work against the Kings," Coetzee said.

Fourie, who led from the front and scored the only two tries of the match, said there had been a great vibe in the stadium.

"In South African derbies you do not leave anything out on the field but we are all still friends off the field," Fourie said when asked about the niggle which crept into the game and threatened to escalate out of control at times.

Despite being on the wrong end of the result, Southern Kings captain Andries Strauss said he was proud of his team.

The Kings failed again to win a South African derby and will have one final chance at rectifying that when they play the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.

Strauss said he was proud of his team because they gave their all against the Stormers.

"We are a very proud team and we let ourselves down physically last weekend when we lost to the Bulls at Loftus," Strauss said.

"We had to make a step up against the Stormers and earn a bit of respect which we have built up during the season.

"The boys left everything out on the field and barring a couple of penalties we gave away at silly times I felt we in with a shout right up until the end.

Kings director of rugby Alan Solomons said he did not feel there had been excessive aggression in the game between two tough sides who pride themselves on their rugged defence.

"Rugby is a physical game and you get the odd little flare-up, but I did not think there was anything excessive," Solomons said.

"In the contact areas there was a fair amount of activity which one expects.

"They pride themselves on their defence and so do we."