Stormers beat Bristol Bears 49-12 in Champions Cup

Stormers 49-12 Bristol Bears, DHL Stadium

DHL Stormers opened their Investec Champions Cup campaign with a convincing 49-12 victory over Bristol Bears at DHL Stadium in Cape Town.

The South African side scored seven tries, with Leolin Zas and Jonathan Roche crossing twice, while Seabelo Senatla, Warrick Gelant and Andre-Hugo Venter also touched down.

Bristol fielded their youngest-ever Champions Cup side and showed plenty of determination against experienced opposition. Joe Owen and Sol Moody scored for the visitors, but the Stormers' attacking quality proved decisive in the closing stages.

Stormers Make Flying Start

The hosts began strongly and opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Senatla found space in the Bristol defence and raced through to score. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted to give the Stormers a 7-0 lead.

The Stormers struck again in the 15th minute when Senatla created the opportunity for Zas to finish another attacking move. Feinberg-Mngomezulu added the conversion to double the advantage.

Bristol responded through Owen in the 22nd minute. The flanker showed strength and determination to finish near the touchline, with Sam Worsley converting to reduce the deficit to 14-7.

However, the home side restored their 14-point cushion when Roche finished an attacking move involving Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian Willemse. The conversion made it 21-7.

Bristol Battle Against Reduced Stormers

The Stormers suffered a setback in the 33rd minute when hooker JJ Kotze was shown a 20-minute red card following a dangerous tackle on Bristol captain Kieran Marmion.

Bristol attempted to take advantage of the extra player and enjoyed periods of attacking pressure, but the Stormers defended well to preserve their 21-7 lead at half-time.

The visitors continued to press after the restart. Cobus Reinach appeared to have scored an interception try for the Stormers, but the effort was ruled out following a high tackle by Zas earlier in the move.

Zas was shown a yellow card, briefly reducing the hosts to 13 players as his suspension overlapped with Kotze's absence.

Moody Gives Bristol Hope

Bristol capitalised on their numerical advantage in the 49th minute when replacement hooker Moody powered over from a driving maul.

It was Moody's first try for Bristol on his Champions Cup debut, and although the conversion was missed, the visitors had reduced the deficit to 21-12.

The Stormers responded almost immediately. Roche reacted quickly to a loose ball and raced over for his second try in the 52nd minute. Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted from near the touchline to restore the hosts' 16-point advantage.

Stormers Pull Clear In Final Quarter

Bristol continued to compete and created further attacking opportunities, but the Stormers gradually regained control as their replacements made an impact.

Gelant crossed in the 71st minute following a well-worked attacking move, with Feinberg-Mngomezulu adding the conversion.

Replacement hooker Venter then scored just two minutes later as the hosts continued to stretch the Bristol defence. Another successful conversion extended the lead to 42-12.

Zas completed his double in the 77th minute, finishing the Stormers' seventh try of the afternoon. Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted again to complete a perfect record of seven conversions and seal a 49-12 victory.