The Fidelity ADT Lions scored five tries enroute to a bonus-point 36-12 (halftime 15-0) mauling of the DHL Stormers XXIII at 10Bet Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday evening to put one foot in the Carling Currie Cup semifinals.
The result moves the Johannesburg outfit into third place on the log for now, but their fate remains out of their hands as they face an anxious wait for the weekend's other results to see if their season extends into the final four.
The Fidelity ADT Lions do what they can in Johannesburg 🦁🙌
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 28, 2026
They are into the last four as it stands - can Boland or the Pumas change that? 👀#SSRugby | #CurrieCup pic.twitter.com/KMcwR3nEWI
The Lions showed their intent from the opening whistle, playing with a purpose and intensity that the visitors simply could not match.
Flyhalf Matthew Coetzee drew first blood with a third-minute penalty before the backline, which was electric all evening, created the opening try.
A long, flat pass from centre Rynhardt Jonker found wing Keagan Smith, who expertly drew his man before feeding fullback Gilermo Mentoe to canter over under the posts in the 10th minute.
The Stormers, despite enjoying scrum dominance, looked a side completely devoid of ideas.
They spent a five-minute period camped on the Lions' try-line but were repeatedly repelled by a disciplined and aggressive defensive line.
A series of pick-and-goes came to nothing, and a decision to tap-and-go from a penalty resulted in a costly turnover, summarising a first half where their attack was lethargic and moved from side to side without penetration.
The Lions made them pay just before the break, as a powerful driving maul saw captain and No 8 Jarod Cairns crash over for a 15-0 halftime lead.
RAMPAGING RUN
Any hopes of a second-half revival from the Cape side were extinguished within 20 minutes of the restart.
The Lions continued to run with purpose, turning over Stormers' ball at will. The third try came in the 55th minute when a clever chip from Smith was pounced on by outside centre Ethan Adams, who dived over to score.
Five minutes later, flanker Renzo du Plessis provided the highlight of the night, brushing off two tacklers in a rampaging solo run to secure the bonus point and stretch the lead to 29-0.
The Stormers finally got on the board in the 64th minute through a moment of individual brilliance from centre Markus Muller, but it was little more than a consolation.
Their night got worse when replacement Dominic Malgas was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle in the 71st minute.
The Lions took full advantage of the extra man, with a superb break from Adams setting up an interchange between Mentoe and Latica Nela for the winger to score under the poles.
A final try after the hooter from Stormers replacement hooker Altus Rabe added some respectability to the scoreline, but it could not hide the fact that his team had been thoroughly outplayed in every department.
SCORERS
FIDELITY ADT LIONS – Tries: Gilermo Mentoe, Jarod Cairns, Ethan Adams, Renzo du Plessis, Latica Nela; Conversions: Matthew Coetzee (4); Penalty: Coetzee.
DHL STORMERS XXIII – Tries: Markus Muller, Altus Rabe; Conversion: Kyle Smith.