EMBARRASSING STORMERS VAT PAK V HARLEQUINS

THE Stormers were given a 61-10 pak slae by Harlequins in the Champions Cup on Sunday, their first defeat of the season.

It was a tough outing for the visitors, as the hosts dominated to claim a convincing win at Twickenham Stoop.

The home span struck early, with flank Jack Kenningham going over for the first try and they followed that up soon afterwards as a charged-down ball sat up nicely for wing Jack Murley to score their second.

Captain Alex Dombrandt went over for their third try, before fellow loose forward Chandler Cunningham-South finished off a scrappy passage of play to secure the bonus point.

There was a fifth try before halftime and although the Stormers had a late opportunity with an attacking line-out in the 22, they were unable to capitalise and went into the halftime break trailing 33-0.

Wing Nick David scored two tries at the start of the second half to complete his hat-trick before the Stormers hit back with a try of their own.

Scrumhalf Imad Khan went through after getting the final pass from captain Damian Willemse, who had been put in space by replacement loose forward Wandile Mlaba.

They kept pushing and wing Dylan Maart finished the second try, but Harlequins had the final say to seal a groot win.

Conceding nine tries is never acceptable and the Stormers will be painfully aware that this performance fell well short of their standards.

While they remain unbeaten in the United Rugby Championship, the loss serves as a stark reminder of the challenges that come with squad rotation.

Attention now turns to Saturday’s final pool match against Leicester Tigers innie Kaap, a fixture that could determine whether the Stormers secure a home Round of 16 playoff spot.