The Stormers will play their first ever away match in the knockout rounds of the United Rugby Championship (URC) when they travel to Glasgow for their quarterfinal against the Warriors next Saturday (8.35pm).
Having turned Cape Town Stadium into a fortress it will now require a monumental effort for them to reach the semifinal for the third straight year.
They maintained their impeccable home record in the SA Shield by downing the Lions 29-24 on Saturday. Though feisty, the Lions aided the Stormers' cause by tactically pursuing blind alleys.
The Stormers showed admirable fighting qualities in overturning a 21-12 deficit at half time into victory. They did so despite a red card that saw wing Angelo Davids banished in the 48th minute of the clash.
It proved a real flashpoint in the game as the Lions lost playmaker Sanele Nohamba as a result of Davids' reckless challenge, as well as replacement centre Marius Louw to a yellow card after he displayed vehement displeasure at the Stormers winger's actions.
The Lions, however, could not make their numerical advantage count. The Stormers' forwards redoubled their efforts and though the Lions still occasionally showed their claws they weren't nearly as threatening as they were in the first half.
In fact, it should be to the Lions' deep lament that they did not pursue a try-scoring bonus point with greater alacrity. By trying to build scoreboard pressure through penalties they made incremental advances but that also served to keep the home team in touch.
In fact, it allowed the home side to strike a decisive blow with four minutes remaining when lock Adre Smith scored a converted try.
The Lions were in eighth place by the final whistle, but the Ospreys snatched that from them in a later kickoff when they earned a bonus point win over Cardiff.
The Lions will have reason to reflect on what might have been. When they were on the front foot and the going was generally good in the first half they failed to go for the jugular. A try-scoring bonus point in addition to their losing bonus point would have secured them a place in the top eight.
“We conceded crucial penalties early in the second half that changed the momentum a little bit,” explained their head coach Ivan van Rooyen. “If we forced them to play a little bit more and play their offload game, even if it is their strength, they can with enough pressure give you more opportunities.”
That passiveness in allowing the Stormers to play, ultimately helped engineer the Lions' downfall. A lack of situational awareness and game management too often proved their undoing in this URC campaign.
“We had seven or eight bonus points, which means you are potentially a minute of two away from 30 more points,” said Van Rooyen. “It was a season of near misses and it feels like that today. I'm proud of the effort and the fight. We have grown a lot as a team.”
It didn't help that the Lions lost influential playmaker Nohamba. “You can see that he is dazed. Luckily he is fine,” said Van Rooyen about Nohamba.
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