Connacht suffered a 22-15 defeat to the Stormers in their United Rugby Championship opening fixture at Dexcom Stadium in Galway, as the South African side’s second-half power sealed the victory.
The visitors seized control early in the match when Ireland back Mack Hansen executed a crucial try-saving tackle on Ruhan Nel after six minutes. Jurie Matthee followed up by slotting a penalty between the posts to open the scoring for John Dobson’s side. The Stormers extended their lead when Warrick Gelant chased down a well-weighted kick on the left wing to score the game’s opening try, which Matthee successfully converted.
Connacht fought back late in the first half. Hansen, making his return from a long-term foot injury, crossed the line to narrow the deficit. Josh Ioane then finished off a sweeping team move following a turnover by Eoin de Buitlear, sending the hosts into halftime with a 15-10 lead.
The second half brought sustained pressure from the Cape Town outfit. Sam Gilbert prevented an early Stormers try by getting underneath Seabelo Senatla to hold up the ball. However, the visitors’ physical advantage eventually told as Sazi Sandi powered over from a multi-phase attack to reclaim the lead with 25 minutes remaining.
As Connacht’s tired legs began to show, the Stormers secured the result with late tries from Vernon Paulo and Ezekiel Ngobeni. Yaqeen Ahmed added a conversion to establish a seven-point margin at the final whistle.
Match Statistics and Lineups
Connacht (12) 15
Tries: Hansen, Ioane
Conversions: Gilbert
Penalties: Gilbert
Stormers (10) 22
Tries: Gelant, Sandi, Paulo, Ngobeni
Conversions: Matthee 2, Ahmed
Penalties: Matthee
Connacht Starting XV: Gilbert; Treacy, Hansen; Devine, Forde; Ioane, B Murphy; van Wyk, de Buitlear, Bealham; Murray, J Murphy; O’Brien, Boyle, Hurley-Langton
Replacements: Victory, Duggan, Barrett, O’Connor, Flynn, Blade, Naughton, Bolton
Stormers Starting XV: Gerlant; Zas, Senatia; R Nel, Roche; Matthee, Warner; Matongo, Venter, Fouche; Porter, Schickerling; L Nel, Dayimani, Norton
Replacements: Paulo, Reid, Sandi, Evans, Smith, Simelane, Ngobeni, Ahmed