The flank profited from a tight-head at a scrum five metres from the line to steal the win after the hosts went down to 14 men with 25 minutes left after a red card for wing Leolin Zas.
Centres Kurtley Beale and Israel Folau also crossed the line for the Waratahs, along with wing Rob Horne.
The home side’s points came from two tries by lock Peter-Steph du Toit and one from veteran loose-forward Schalk Burger, with flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis adding 15 points with the boot.
The Waratahs lived off scraps in the first half with just 27 percent of the possession, but went into the break trailing 14-12 as the Stormers failed to capitalise on their dominance.
The visitors took the lead when Beale finished off a slick move, before Burger burst through a gap to score from close-range and Du Toit used his strength to barge over the line.
An excellent angled run from Folau two minutes before halftime saw him charge through a gap in the Stormers backline and finish the opening period on a high.
Both sides added two penalties after halftime before the Stormers had Zas red carded. The wing slipped as he launched himself into a contest for a high ball with Foley, leading to the Australian crashing to the ground head first.
Referee Mike Fraser felt there was no malice in the incident, but the fact that Foley landed in a dangerous position meant a red card was the appropriate sanction.
Du Plessis extended the Stormers lead with a penalty soon after but the Waratahs grabbed the lead following Horne’s try.
The Stormers raised the intensity again and hammered at the Waratahs line after mauling their way into the 22 with Du Toit eventually breaking the line to score.
But after being shoved off the ball at a scrum five metres from their own line, the hosts gave up possession and Hooper burrowed his way over under the posts for the winning score.
(Reporting by Nick Said)
Share
