Stormers make it an unbeaten calendar year
MATCH REPORT: The Stormers went an entire calendar year without losing a home match.
The United Rugby Championship title holders dismissed the Lions with ease in their final match of 2022 - winning 40-8 and outscoring the outclassed visitors by six tries to one.
The Stormers, as was to be expected, got out the blocks in a flash - tries by Damian Willemse, Deon Fourie and Dan du Plessis giving them a 19-3 lead on the half-hour mark.
From there on the Lions were chasing the game and against the resolute Stormers' defence, they were gifting their hosts more opportunities in a desperate attempt to get a foothold.
It allowed the Stormers to score three more second-half tries and cement their place at number two in the URC standings
It was an impressive performance in front of a lively New Year’s Eve crowd.
It did not take long for the Stormers to hit their stride, with Damian Willemse dummying to break the defensive line in the 22 for the opening try.
The second try saw the forwards launch a powerful maul, with Deon Fourie going over for the five-pointer.
The visitors got on the scoreboard with a penalty from flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse, but those were to be their only points of the first half as the Stormers' defence stood firm.
The home side had their third try when scrumhalf Paul de Wet found Dan du Plessis with a clever inside ball and the centre glided over.
That gave the Stormers a commanding 19-3 advantage at half-time and looking for just one more try in the second half to secure the bonus point.
They looked to have secured it just after half-time, with Libbok finishing a try that he sparked with a break in the 22, but it was called back for a forward pass.
Instead, it was the Lions who scored first in the second half as outside centre Henco van Wyk went over out wide.
The local supporters did not have to wait long to celebrate the bonus point try though, as a break from Hacjivah Dayimani saw Davids dot down out wide, with Libbok adding the touchline conversion to make it 26-8.
Davids made that a double soon afterwards as he took the last pass from Dayimani again to go in for his second.
There was still time for one more try as replacement loose forward Marcel Theunissen stepped and dived to make it six of the best.
The scorers
For the Stormers
Tries: Willemse, Fourie, Du Plessis, Davids 2, Theunissen
Cons: Libbok 5
For the Lions
Try: Van Wyk
Pen: Hendrikse
Teams
Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ben-Jason Dixon, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Junior Pokomela, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Clayton Blommetjies.
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Sibahle Maxwane, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw (captain), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Pieter Jansen van Vuren,, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Pieter Botha, 1 Jean-Pierre Smith.
Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Morgan Naudé, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Ruben Schoeman, 20 Sibusiso Sangweni, 21 Morné van den Berg, 22 Gianni Lombard, 23 Manuel Rass.
Referee: Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa, Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Ben Crous (South Africa)
* Picture credit: @THESTORMERS