All eyes were on the Emirates Lions who hosted the DHL Stormers in Johannesburg today. Unfortunately, they could not match the talk and went down 32-03 to a rampant Stormers team.
The Stormers controlled most of the first half while an error-ridden Lions team struggled to get any momentum going during the first 40 minutes. An uncertain Lions that are happy to live off the scraps when it presented itself at that stage of the match.
The Stormers continued their dominance in the second half to travel back to Cape Town with the full five points well deservedly.
10:18 Manie Libbok converted a penalty to open the Stormers account on the scoreboard. (00-03)
20:00 The Lions were a bit erratic in the first 20 minutes with their eagerness the reason for several unforced mistakes. The Stormers on the other hand dominated the proceedings with disciplined structured play.
20:35 Tiaan Swanepoel converted a penalty for the Lions to level the score. (03-03)
27:35 Hacjivah Dayimani cuts through the hapless defence to score the Stormers first try after a 25m run. (03-10)
40:00 The Stormers controlled most of the first half while an error-ridden Lions team struggled to get any momentum going during the first 40 minutes. An uncertain Lions that are happy to live off the scraps when it presented itself.
42:40 Manie Libbok converted his second penalty for the Stormer. (03-13)
45:48 Seabelo Senatla scored the Stormers second try which can only be described as a team try after most of the team handled the ball before Senatla strolled over for his try. (03-18)
51:36 Sergeal Petersen beats a halfhearted defender on the outside to score the Stormers third try as the Stormers dominance continued to grow. (03-25)
60:00 The Stormers are at this stage completely in control of the match and seemingly on their way to an easy five-pointer.
73:01 Deon Fourie fell on the ball in the Lions in-goal area to score the Stormers bonus point try, after the Lions could not control the ball. (03-32)
77:00 Morne van den Berg ended a movement that was started by a line break by Burger Odendaal in his own half to score the Lions first try of the match. (10-32)
Scorers:
Emirates Lions: Try: Morne vd Berg. Conversion: Jordan Hendriks. Penalty: Tiaan Swanepoel.
DHL Stormers: Tries: Hacjivah Dayimani, Seabelo Senatla, Sergeal Petersen, Deon Fourie. Conversions: Manie Libbok (3). Penalties: Manie Libbok (2).
Teams:
Emirates Lions: 15. EW Viljoen 14. Stean Pienaar 13. Manuel Rass 12. Burger Odendaal (vc) 11. Edwill van der Merwe. 10. Tiaan Swanepoel 9. Andre Warner 8. Francke Horn 7. Vincent Tshituka 6. Jaco Kriel (c) 5. Ruben Schoeman 4. Ruhan Straeuli 3. Carlu Sadie 2. PJ Botha 1. Ruan Dreyer: Replacements: 16. Jaco Visagie 17. JP Smith 18. Jannie du Plessis 19. Ruan Venter 20. Emmanuel Tshituka 21. Morne van den Berg 22. Jordan Hendrikse 23. Wandisile Simelane.
DHL Stormers: 15. Warrick Gelant, 14. Sergeal Petersen, 13. Ruhan Nel, 12. Damian Willemse, 11. Seabelo Senatla, 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Paul de Wet, 8. Hacjivah Dayimani, 7. Ernst van Rhyn, 6. Deon Fourie, 5. Marvin Orie, 4. Adre Smith, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Scarra Ntubeni, 1. Steven Kitshoff (captain). Replacements: 16. Andre-Hugo Venter, 17. Leon Lyons, 18. Sazi Sandi, 19. David Meihuizen, 20. Marcel Theunissen, 21. Herschel Jantjies, 22. Dan du Plessis, 23. Angelo Davids.