The Stormers’ remarkable winning streak was brought crashing to a halt in emphatic fashion on Sunday as they were overwhelmed 61-10 by Harlequins in a one-sided Champions Cup Round Three encounter in London, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Having arrived in England on the back of 10 straight victories across all competitions, the Capetonians were unrecognisable as the hosts ran riot, crossing for nine tries in a ruthless attacking display that exposed the visitors from the opening minutes until the final whistle.
Harlequins wasted no time asserting control, dominating the collisions early on before Jack Kenningham crashed over in the seventh minute to set the tone. The pressure continued to mount and four minutes later a charged-down kick proved costly for the Stormers, with the ball quickly moved wide for Cadan Murley to sprint in unchallenged.
By the 16th minute, the English side were in again as captain Alex Dombrandt latched onto a clever inside pass from Jack Walker, showing surprising pace to pull away and stretch the lead further. The bonus point followed before the half-hour mark when Dewaldt Duvenage’s kick was charged down, allowing Chandler Cunningham-South to scoop up and score after a messy passage of play.
The Stormers’ defensive line struggled to cope with Harlequins’ sharp handling and offloading, and slick interplay among the home side’s backs opened the door for Nick David to grab his first try of the afternoon. At the break, the scoreboard painted a grim picture for the visitors, who trailed 33-0.
There was brief resistance after the restart, but it did not last. David struck again in the 53rd minute as the Stormers’ defence once more fell apart, before completing his hat-trick six minutes later by capitalising on a loose pass and jogging in untouched.
Harlequins showed no mercy, adding an eighth try soon after when Zach Carr collected a kick from Lucas Friday and powered his way to the line. The Stormers finally found some reward in the final quarter, with Imad Khan finishing neatly in the 66th minute after good work from Damian Willemse.
Sustained pressure eventually led to a second try for the visitors in the 73rd minute, Dylan Maart going over to add some respectability to the scoreline. However, Harlequins had the last word, with Jarrod Evans touching down just before full-time to complete a devastating afternoon for John Dobson’s side.
Attention now shifts to Cape Town, where the Stormers will face Leicester Tigers in their final Pool Three fixture, knowing a response will be required if they are to secure a place in the Round of 16.
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Picture: Warren Little / Gallo Images
