Super Rugby: Lions maul Stormers at Ellis Park
The Lions enjoyed a second Super Rugby upset win in as many weeks as they humbled the Stormers 34-10 at Ellis Park.
Last Updated: 27/02/14 3:29pm
A week after kicking his team to victory over the Cheetahs, fly-half Marnitz Boshoff was once again the star of the show, bagging 29 points, including three long-range drop-goals as the team from Johannesburg made a mockery of the pre-season predictions.
The result is the first-ever loss at Ellis Park for the Stormers.
Disjointed on attack, Stormers completely dominated the possession and territory stats but were unable to break down the resolute Lions defence.
Even the Lions fans were looking on in dismay as the home side held a 22-10 lead at the interval having charged out of the blocks, bossing their much-vaunted visitors at the breakdown.
The hosts had a healthy lead on the scoreboard but had hardly visited the Stormers' 22 as the team from Cape Town spent most of the game camped in the Lions' half.
It was a similar story after the break, but Jean de Villiers' team had no answer for a team that simply tackled their guts out and took every half-chance offered to them.
Impressive start
An impressive start from the Lions saw the home side race to a 19-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, thanks to a try from centre Stefan Watermeyer, two long-range drops plus two penalties from Boshoff.
The Stormers pulled a try back as hooker Scarra Ntubeni, broke off the back of a rolling maul to crash over.
Demetri Catrakilis added the conversion but the Lions still had their tails up and Boshoff slotted another penalty to make it 22-7.
The visitors finished the half on a positive note as Catrakilis added his second penalty to cut the deficit to 12 points going into the interval.
The Stormers applied the pressure early in the second half but were frustrated by the dogged defence from the Lions, who were down to 14 men after Franco Mostert was sin-binned for repeated ruck infringements.
Despite the Stormers dominating the first 10 minutes after the break, the Lions scored first as Boshoff landed another long-range penalty.
The Lions lost a second man to the bin - prop Julian Redelinghuys - as the tackle count started to take its toll, but the red wall held firm.
When the scoreboard did move, it was for the home side again as Boshoff slotted his third huge drop goal.