Joseph Dweba scored a brace of tries as the DHL Stormers beat a 14-man Lions outfit at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday in round 8 of the Vodacom URC.
The Stormers raced into 15-0 half-time lead, and notched five tries in a bonus-point 29-10 victory at Cape Town Stadium, following four defeats in all competitions this season.
The hosts made their numerical advantage count after Lions lock Ruben Schoeman was shown a straight red card for a dangerous hit on Manie Libbok midway through the first 40 minutes.
However, Stormers boss John Dobson will be sweating over the fitness of playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who was replaced by Jean-Luc du Plessis before the close of the opening stanza following a big tackle from Lions prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye.
Three first-half tries from hooker Dweba and right wing Suleiman Hartzenberg powered the home side in front – the former barging over the whitewash either side of the latter’s finish in the right corner off a pinpoint Libbok cross-kick.
Hold tight for a Manie Libbok festive classic 🎄🎶@Vodacom #URC | #STOvLIO pic.twitter.com/dZ2AS1s4g2
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) December 21, 2024
Ruthless finishing. #STOvLIO #iamastormer #dhldelivers @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/vrfkk2hfhs
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) December 21, 2024
The Lions drew first blood inside the opening 10 minutes but scrumhalf Morne van den Berg’s try was ruled out for obstruction in the buildup. The Stormers, too, had a Dweba touchdown overturned in the 21st minute for a similar infringement.
Speedster Edwill van der Merwe’s successful chip-and-chase down the left channel led to the visitors’ opening score after the restart, but they were quickly down to 13 men for 10 minutes when replacement Manny Rass was pinned for an illegal tackle.
Left winger Leolin Zas responded with the Stormers’ bonus-point try, and Libbok split the uprights with his first of two conversions in the match.
Substitute Franco Marais pulled one back for the Lions as the game entered the final quarter, but an impressive performance from the Stormers was capped by prop Neethling Fouche soaring in between the sticks before the final hooter.
The Stormers will now refocus for a visit next Saturday from the Sharks, while the Lions enjoy a two-week break before they return to action with a trip to France to face Montpellier on 11 January in the EPCR Challenge Cup.
