The Stormers had enough physical power to win in Edinburgh, Cape {town} Etc reports.
That is perhaps what will make their 17-13 defeat to the Scottish side so frustrating.
Edinburgh deserve credit for a hard-fought victory and, once again, they protected their unbeaten home record against the Stormers. The Cape side are still searching for their first win on Scottish soil, with their only previous result in Edinburgh being a draw on their first visit in 2022.
But this was also a game the Stormers will feel they allowed to slip away.
Their biggest problem was not a lack of physicality, territory or scrum power. It was something far more basic.
The lineout simply let them down.
A week after recovering from a difficult start to beat Connacht in Galway, the Stormers were unable to overcome the same sort of self-inflicted damage in Edinburgh. This time, the mistakes kept coming, and Edinburgh were more than happy to take advantage.
The conditions certainly played their part.
A strong wind made accurate throwing difficult, particularly during the first half when the Stormers were playing into it. They still managed to stay within three points at the break, which was a credit to their defence and their ability to carry the ball when they had possession.
The trouble was getting enough possession in the first place.
The Stormers lost six lineouts in the opening half, making it almost impossible to build the sustained pressure needed to turn their scrum dominance into points.
And when Andre-Hugo Venter left the field and Vernon Paulo came on, things became even more uncertain.
It would be harsh to make Paulo the scapegoat. He is new to the Stormers set-up, while some of the errors appeared to stem from wider communication problems. There were moments when the throw went long despite the Stormers’ jumpers appearing ready for a shorter ball.
Whatever the cause, the result was the same.
Possession disappeared.
So did momentum.
That was particularly damaging because the Stormers were winning the battle up front. Their scrum repeatedly gave them an advantage, yet they could not consistently turn that advantage into the kind of driving pressure that had caused problems for Connacht the previous week.
Edinburgh, meanwhile, stayed in the fight.
The Stormers had to be pleased with the fact they were only three points behind at half-time despite playing into the wind. They had defended aggressively and carried with purpose, while Edinburgh had also been denied a try after a double movement was spotted by the referee.
With the wind expected to become an advantage after the break, the Stormers had every reason to believe the game was there for them.
For a while, it looked that way.
Yaqeen Ahmed, after missing a first-half kick, landed two penalties as the Stormers moved 6-3 ahead after 51 minutes.
They were beginning to control territory.
Then the lineout problems returned.
Another poor throw handed Edinburgh possession and helped create the opportunity that led to replacement prop Paul Hill scoring in the 59th minute.
The home side moved back in front, while Seabelo Senatla was sent to the sin bin for a cynical infringement.
Edinburgh would later lose Freddie Douglas to a yellow card as the match became increasingly frantic, but the Stormers had already been given another reminder of the cost of their own mistakes.
They responded in the manner that had become familiar throughout the evening, through their scrum.
With 13 minutes remaining, Hacjivah Dayimani controlled the ball from a powerful attacking scrum and scored the Stormers’ try. Ahmed added the conversion, putting the visitors 13-10 ahead.
It looked as though the Stormers had finally found the route to victory.
They had not.
Edinburgh struck back with a clever attack that pulled the Stormers’ defence in before the ball was moved wide to Rory McHaffie, who finished in the corner.
The Stormers were suddenly behind again.
And when the opportunity for one final attack arrived, their biggest weakness surfaced one more time.
Warrick Gelant had earlier kicked the ball out inside the Edinburgh 22 while chasing the game, a decision that left the Stormers needing Edinburgh to make a mistake.
They eventually did.
Edinburgh kicked the ball out from inside their own 22 instead of retaining possession and using the clock, conceding a penalty in the process.
With the Stormers four points behind, Ahmed kicked for the corner.
This was their chance.
The Stormers found their jumper, but the resulting possession was untidy. Edinburgh managed to disrupt the attack, win back the ball and see out the match.
It was almost fitting that the game ended with another lineout failing to give the Stormers what they needed.
Because for all their dominance at scrum time, for all their defensive effort and for all the opportunities they created, they never found enough consistency in one of the most fundamental parts of their game.
That is what makes the defeat feel like a missed opportunity.
The Stormers leave Scotland with six log points from their two-match tour and a losing bonus point from Edinburgh. Given the difficult conditions and the fact that both matches were played on 4G surfaces that have not traditionally suited them, that is a return they may have been willing to accept before leaving Cape Town.
But this particular result should still sting.
Edinburgh earned their win.
The Stormers, though, will know they made it considerably easier for them.
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Picture: Ashley Vlotman / Gallo Images
