DHL Stormers end 2022 in style
The DHL Stormers ended the year with a convincing 40-8 win against the Emirates Lions at DHL Stadium.
The home side outscored the Johannesburg team by six tries to one, to end the year unbeaten at home.
It was an impressive performanc ein front of a lively New Year’s Eve crowd, which saw the defending champions consolidate their place in second on the Vodacom United Rugby Championship standings.
It did not take long for the DHL Stormers to hit their stride, with Damian Willemse dummying to break the defensive line in the 22 for the opening try.
The second try saw the forwards launch a powerful maul, with Deon Fourie going over for the five-pointer.
The visitors got on the scoreboard with a penalty from flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse, but those were to be their only points of the first half as the DHL Stormers defence stood firm.
The home side had their third try when scrumhalf Paul de Wet found Dan du Plessis with a clever inside ball and the centre glided over.
That gave the DHL Stormers a commanding 19-3 advantage at half-time and looking for just one more try in the second half to secure the bonus point.
They looked to have secured it just after half-time, with Libbok finishing a try that he sparked with a break in the 22, but it was called back for a forward pass.
Instead it was the Emirates Lions who scored first in the second half as outside centre Henco van Wyk went over out wide.
The Faithful did not have to wait long to celebrate the bonus point try though, as a break from Hacjivah Dayimani saw Davids dot down out wide, with Libbok adding the touchline conversion to make it 26-8.
Davids made that a double soon afterwards as he took the last pass from Dayimani again to go in for his second.
There was still time for one more try as replacement loose forward Marcel Theunissen stepped and dived to make it six of the best on the night.
The scorers:
For DHL Stormers:
Tries: Willemse, Fourie, Du Plessis, Davids 2, Theunissen
Cons: Libbok 5
For Emirates Lions:
Try: Van Wyk
Pen: Hendrikse
DHL Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ben-Jason Dixon, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Junior Pokomela, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Clayton Blommetjies.
