The Stormers slumped to a shock 33-24 defeat against Connacht at home on Saturday, failing to deliver in a match loaded with emotional significance.
The result stings on multiple levels. The game marked the first home fixture in 22 years without beloved team manager Chippie Solomon on the touchline. Solomon, affectionately known as “Uncle Chippie,” passed away last Saturday after suffering a heart attack and will be laid to rest in Cape Town on Tuesday. Players and coaches had dedicated the performance to him. They did not honour that promise.
The emotionally charged occasion also served as a send-off for one-club man Scarra Ntubeni, who announced his retirement at season’s end. Named in the starting lineup, Ntubeni put in a solid 34-minute shift before making way – and produced one of the game’s highlights with a no-look, over-the-shoulder offload that sent Evan Roos over for his 10th URC try of the campaign.
FIRST HALF RECAP: LITTLE SEPARATES THE SIDES
The Stormers made the better starts in both halves but repeatedly shot themselves in the foot. Blind passes, unforced errors, missed tackles, knock-ons under no pressure and poor decision-making plagued their performance throughout. Connacht also succeeded in getting under their hosts’ skin, with Deon Fourie and Ruhan Nel both falling into the visitors’ rage-baiting traps and needing to be hauled back by teammates.
Fourie’s yellow card opened the door for Connacht’s first try, though replays suggested the scorer’s shoulder may have grazed the touchline before the grounding. The score stood, and Connacht led 7-0 before Roos’ try and a long-range Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu penalty edged the Stormers in front at the break.
SECOND HALF RECAP: STORMERS LOSE THE PLOT
Prop Ntuthuko Mchunu extended the lead early in the second half, but Connacht responded quickly to make it 17-14. Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s solo try briefly pushed the Stormers clear, but Connacht scored twice in rapid succession to lead 26-24 with under ten minutes remaining.
From there, the Stormers lost the plot entirely. Replacement Wandisile Simelane made good ground into the Connacht 22, only for Feinberg-Mngomezulu to spill the pass and surrender the advantage. Under immediate pressure from Connacht’s rush defence, a slightly delayed Stefan Ungerer pass gave flyhalf Sean Naughton a gift interception, and he sprinted clear to seal a historic first-ever Connacht win in Cape Town.
With Glasgow Warriors visiting next week in what could prove a top-of-the-table decider, John Dobson will demand a significant improvement across the board.
