The DHL Stormers kicked off their 2026/27 Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign with a brutal 29-15 bonus-point victory over Connacht Rugby at the Dexcom Stadium.
The visitors struck first in the 10th minute through a Jurie Matthee penalty. They extended their lead to 10-0 ten minutes later when Leolin Zas pounced on a clever grubber kick from André Warner to score the opening try, which Matthee converted.
Despite facing heavy defensive pressure, Connacht clawed their way back just before the break. Mack Hansen sniped off the back of a 5m maul to score, with Sam Gilbert adding the conversion.
Moments later, a costly Stormers turnover inside their own 22 allowed Josh Ioane to cross the whitewash. This sudden double-strike gave Connacht a 12-10 halftime lead.
Connacht extended their advantage to 15-10 early in the second half through a Sam Gilbert penalty. However, the Stormers' pack soon took complete control of the physical battle.
In the 57th minute, Sazi Sandi bulldozed his way over the try line following relentless phases from the heavy forwards. Matthee's conversion put the Stormers back in front at 17-15.
The brutal forward onslaught continued late into the game. It finally culminated in a 78th-minute try from Vernon Paulo to stretch the lead to 22-15.
Right at the death, Ezekiel Ngobeni chased down a Stormers grubber to secure the vital fourth-try bonus point. Yaqeen Ahmed landed the final conversion to seal an impressive 29-15 away win.
Scorers:
Connacht: Tries: Mack Hansen, Josh Ioane. Conversion: Sam Gilbert. Penalty: Sam Gilbert.
DHL Stormers: Tries: André Warner, Sazi Sandi, Vernon Paulo, Ezekiel Ngobeni. Conversions: Jurie Matthee (2), Yaqeen Ahmed. Penalty: Jurie Matthee.
Teams
Connacht: 15 Sam Gilbert, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 John Devine, 12 Cathal Forde, 11 Finn Treacy, 10 Josh Ioane, 9 Ben Murphy, 8 Paul Boyle, 7 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 6 Sean O’Brien, 5 Josh Murphy, 4 Niall Murray, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Eoin de Buitléar, 1 Francois van Wyk. Replacements: 16 Matthew Victory, 17 Jordan Duggan, 18 Fiachna Barrett, 19 David O’Connor, 20 Max Flynn, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Sean Naughton, 23 Shayne Bolton
DHL Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (c), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 André Warner, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Riley Norton, 6 Louw Nel, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Gary Porter, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Vernon Matongo. Replacements: 16 Vernon Paulo, 17 Olly Reid, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Adré Smith, 21 Wandisile Simelane, 22 Ezekiel Ngobeni, 23 Yaqeen Ahmed.
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