The Stormers were their own worst enemy on Saturday afternoon in an emotionally charged United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against Connacht.
While it was expected that the sudden passing of long-term team manager Chippie Solomon would have an impact on how the high-stakes clash panned out, they hardly inspired with an error-strewn performance.
It ended in a 33–24 victory for the visitors, after a total implosion in the final 15 minutes of the game. In the build-up to two tries, scrumhalf Stefan Ungerer made crucial errors. For the Connacht lead, he was too slow to cover a backfield chip. For the final try, he threw an intercept pass that saw flyhalf Sean Naughton score the winner.
The trouble started when the Stormers stretched their lead to 24-14 just after the 60th minute, when flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu danced through the defence to score a brilliant solo effort. Following that kick-off, the Cape side failed to collect the ball; it was knocked on, and the visitors found space on the blindside to score and bring them within three points.
That is when things went pear-shaped, and two more tries led to a famous away victory. Connacht took the lead after seven minutes of play in the first half, and when scrumhalf Ben Murphy scored the fourth in the second half off that Bolton kick, they picked up a crucial bonus point that will give their campaign a massive boost ahead of a clash against the Lions.
The Stormers have some soul-searching to do ahead of what could be a defining final home clash in the league against the Glasgow Warriors next Saturday. They hardly looked comfortable from the kick-off, and the way they performed throughout left much to be desired.
After setting out to deliver a resounding performance for Solomon, they failed to live up to the expectation. It was a sombre atmosphere before the kick-off, and it will remain so throughout the week as they mourn their loss.
The defeat will also hurt, but they have a week to fix all those errors and to show their fans that one loss won’t define their campaign. They are still in second place on the URC log and must fight for that home play-off.
Points scorers
Stormers 24 (10): Tries: Evan Roos, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Conversions: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3). Penalty: Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Connacht 33 (7): Tries: Shamus Hurley-Langton, Paul Boyle, John Devine, Ben Murphy, Sean Naughton. Conversions: Sam Gilbert (5).
