The DHL Stormers bounced back from their Edinburgh defeat with a comprehensive 39-22 victory over the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Cape Town on Saturday, securing all five United Rugby Championship points in front of their home supporters.
Hacjivah Dayimani crossed for a brace of tries as the Stormers outscored their coastal rivals six tries to three, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu orchestrating proceedings at flyhalf. The hosts' scrum dominance proved decisive, with the Sharks winning just 57 percent of their own feeds across the match.
The visitors' afternoon unravelled early when Eben Etzebeth and Vusi Moyo both departed with injuries during the first half, compounding discipline issues that saw them reduced to 14 men twice before the interval. Matt Romao received a yellow card in the 34th minute for a grasscutter tackle, with the Stormers immediately punishing the numerical advantage through Dayimani's rolling maul try.
Seabelo Senatla opened the scoring in the fifth minute following a series of Sharks penalties, though he was denied a second when adjudged to have a foot in touch. Damian Willemse featured prominently alongside Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the backline, while props Wilco Louw and Nthuthuko Mchunu provided the platform up front. Mchunu's scrummaging particularly troubled Springbok tighthead Thomas du Toit, with four of the first five scrum penalties awarded against the Sharks loosehead.
Ethan Hooker was among those involved as the Stormers extended their advantage in the second half, though the hosts had two tries disallowed during the contest. The Sharks showed glimpses through Manu Tshituka's try and a long-range penalty from debutant Gianni Lombard, but ill-discipline and the injury disruption left them chasing shadows for extended periods.