Yster performances from Leolin Zas and Hacjivah Dayimani helped secure a bonus-point win for the Stormers in a Champions Cup clash against Sale Sharks in Cape Town on Saturday night.
Zas’ brace was key in the Stormers’ 31-24 triumph, but the left winger found himself at the centre of late drama when he saved a potential try by intercepting an offload near the line, only to mishandle the ball to Sale centre Sam Bedlow, who then scored the easiest of tries to make it a seven-point game with 10 minutes to play.
The Stormers speedster tried to throw an offload in-goal which got stuck in his hand and looped over his kop, with Bedlow waiting to tackle Zas.
Dayimani’s contribution was just as kwaai, as the No. 8 not only scored the opening points of the game with a display of strength and agility but also prevented a certain try by intercepting Sale fullback Telusa Veainu’s pass, demonstrating his all-around skills.
He was also unlucky not to pick up a second try in the first half as he broke the line and ran almost 70m into Sale’s 22 before his pass missed his support runners.
No. 13 Suleiman Hartzenberg, too, scored from a charge down after putting Sale onder druk in their half.
Despite the individual brilliance, the Stormers faced challenges in putting the game to bed. Leading by 14 points in each half, they struggled to extend their lead further, allowing the English visitors to stay in contention.
Former Stormers flyhalf Robert du Preez slotted a 40m penalty to narrow the scores to just four points in the early stages of the second half.
Soft moments on defence and Sale’s resilience, highlighted by a try from veteran hooker Agustin Creevy, kept the match tight.
Manie Libbok played a crucial role as well, kicking 11 points that included a 40m penalty, but he missed a kick that could have denied Sale a losing bonus point.
The Stormers now sit on nine points in Pool 4 ahead of their final group-stage game against Stade Francais in Paris this Saturday.