Lions hit by a Storm
The Stormers romped past the Lions, eventually winning 56-18 at Newlands on Saturday.
Last Updated: 14/03/09 8:01pm
The Stormers romped past the Lions in a ten-try bonanza at Newlands, eventually winning 56-18 on Saturday.
High-risk rugby was the name of the game as both teams gave the ball lots of airtime. It was one of those must-win games that brings the best and the worst out of sides under pressure, and the Stormers' adventurous spirit paid off at crucial times.
It was anyone's game for 37 minutes but tries for the home side just before and just after half-time gave them a healthy lead and the floodgates opened from there.
Eight tries and a bonus point in a South African derby made for exactly the send off the Cape side needed before setting off on their overseas 'tour of hell.'
Truth be told the scoreline was a little harsh on the Lions, who showed glimpses of what they are capable of before falling apart in the last half an hour. Their decision making went totally pear-shaped as it became clear that they were unable to deliver under pressure.
Tight
Stormers fly-half Willem de Waal opened the scoring with a penalty after ten minutes. It was hard luck on the Lions, who had been making the early running.
The Lions would be first to cross the whitewash, however, when Louis Ludik split Jean de Villiers and Nick Koster, handed off the Springbok centre and then turned on the gas to put his side ahead on the quarter hour mark.
The visitors moved further ahead when Jaque Fourie snatched the ball from Andries Bekker in full flight and then broke clear. He slipped a pass inside to Henno Mentz, who had far too much pace for the chasing defenders.
The Stormers had been a little irresponsible with the ball in hand, trying too much too early, and paid the price.
The home side would strike back almost immediately though. The Lions made a mess of the restart and Schalk Burger ran on to the loose ball and flattened Ashwin Willemse en route to the tryline. De Waal's conversion made the score 10-12 and we had a game on our hands.
Stormers flank Francois Louw rounded off a frenetic four minutes that saw seventeen points scored by crashing over after finding a gap in the Lions line from five metres out.
Andre Pretorius' second penalty made the scores 18-18 with half-time near at hand but a try from Bekker would swing the game definitively in the Stormers' favour.
Clinical
Schalk Brits showed some fancy footwork to step Laurence Sephaka and found the flying Bekker on his inside. And so the rot started for the Lions.
It was one-way traffic in the second-half as the Stormers scored 33 unanswered points.
Percy Montgomery got the ball rolling, beating three defenders to put Gcobani Bobo over. The next try came from Sireli Naqelevuki. The big Fijian running an angle at pace was simply unstoppable.
The wheels came off the Lions wagon as Bekker scored his second try after De Villiers beat both his opposite centres to send the big lock clear.
De Villiers himself scored number seven as he plucked a cross-field kick-pass out the air and sailed away in the open.
Replacement scrum-half Dewaldt Duvenage rubbed salt in the Lions' open wounds with five minutes to play as the Stormers kept the ball alive through countless tackles to score their eighth try.
