Unbeaten Stormers’ second-half surge leads to victory against Lions in Cape Town

The Stormers eventually found their rhythm in the second half to edge a fired-up Lions side 34-27, but it was a performance of two very different halves in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon.

Despite having to hold on in the dying minutes of the local derby, the Cape side secured their ninth victory in all competitions this season and importantly remain unbeaten in the URC and atop the log after collecting a bonus-point of tries.

The hosts started slowly and paid the price very early as the Lions dominated the physical exchanges and struck after just two minutes with the Stormers failing to secure a kick-off. The visitors brought real intensity, winning collisions and putting the home side under immense pressure, and for large periods of the first half looked the sharper and more cohesive outfit.

Credit to the Cape side, though, they managed to stay in touch by scoring at crucial moments when the game threatened to slip away.

However, the Stormers made life unnecessarily difficult for themselves. Three times they failed to secure the kick-off after scoring points, and on all three occasions the Lions punished them by adding to the scoreboard.

Those lapses kept the visitors well in the contest and masked what could have been a more comfortable first-half position for the home side. In truth, looking at the errors of the Stormers, the Lions should have been further ahead at the break than 17-10, as they squandered at least two clear try-scoring opportunities that would have stretched their lead.

The turning point came early in the second half.

When the Stormers struck first after the restart thanks to the work of scrumhalf Cobus Reinach and outside centre Wandisile Simelane rounding off, the momentum began to swing.

Six minutes into the second stanza, their Bomb Squad was unleashed with six forwards taking the field at once, and the impact was immediate. Suddenly the team won the gain line, their maul became a major weapon, and the tempo shifted decisively in their favour.

Tries from Paul de Villiers and Evan Roos followed as the Stormers finally capitalised on their forward dominance to build an unassailable lead. Although the Lions managed to score again to make the final margin look more respectable, it did not reflect the control the Stormers exerted in the latter stages.

The URC log-leaders dominated the scrums for most of the match but only truly made it count in the second half, which is how they would have wanted the game to unfold from the start.

Ruan Venter, who scored two tries, was immense up front for the Lions and his carries brought them plenty of meters, while scrumhalf Morné van den Berg provided spark and urgency throughout his time on the field.

There are plenty of things to fix for the Stormers, but thanks to the work of fetcher Paul de Villiers, eighthman Evan Roos, scrumhalf Cobus Reinach and the secure kicking boot of flyhalf Jurie Matthee, the home team sealed the game.

Adding to the occasion, the Stormers announced at halftime that Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu had extended his contract until 2029. He was unveiled on the field in front of a 28 000-strong crowd, a moment that seemed to lift the stadium — much like the Stormers’ second-half performance.

Points scorers

Stormers 34 (10): Tries: Dylan Maart, Wandisile Simelane, Paul de Villiers, Evan Roos. Conversions: Jurie Matthee (4). Penalties: Matthee (2). Lions 27 (17): Tries: Ruan Venter (2), Kelly Mpeku. Conversions: Chris Smith (3). Penalties: Smith (2).