A late try saw the DHL Stormers XXIII go down 31-26 in their Carling Currie Cup clash with the Toyota Cheetahs at Athlone Stadium on Sunday.
The home side finished with two bonus points as they were denied in dramatic fashion in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
The hosts made a strong start and were held up over the line twice before scrumhalf Stefan Ungerer finally got one down to take the lead.
The Toyota Cheetahs hit back with a try from wing Prince Nkabinde and used their set-piece to get a foothold in the game.
The DHL Stormers XXIII showed good defensive discipline and managed to score a second try on the stroke of half-time, with hooker Vernon Paulo powering over to make it 14-5 at the break.
The Free State side struck first in the second half, but The DHL Stormers restored the nine-point advantage when replacement Wandi Mlaba crossed from close range.
It was back to a two-point game when right wing Michael Annies scored for the visitors with 10 minutes left to play.
There was late drama as the DHL Stormers XXIII drew level as Mlaba scored a second, before the visitors struck the final blow after the hooter to claim the win.
The scorers:
For DHL Stormers XXIII:
Tries: Ungerer, Paulo, Mlaba 2
Cons: Du Plessis 3
For Toyota Cheetahs:
Tries: Nkabinde, Miller, Annies, penalty try, Jasper
Cons: Du Plessis 2
DHL Stormers XXIII: 15 Dylan Miller, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Markus Muller, 12 Cornel Smit, 11 Mfundo Ndhlovu, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis (captain), 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Divan Fuller, 7 Louw Nel, 6 Xola Nyali, 5 Gary Porter, 4 Tom Barnard, 3 Danie Kruger, 2 Vernon Paulo, 1 Hencus van Wyk.
Replacements: 16 Altus Rabe, 17 Mhleli Khuzwayo, 18 Herman Lubbe, 19 Luan Botha, 20 Wandile Mlaba, 21 Ezekiel Ngobeni, 22 Kyle Smith, 23 Gino Cupido.
