Leolin Zas scored a brace of tries as the DHL Stormers claimed a bonus-point victory over the Sale Sharks in the third round of the Champions Cup on Saturday.
Zas’ second and third tries of the season saw the hosts beat a stubborn Sale outfit 31-24 in Cape Town.
A full house of five points and another great night in front of the Faithful. #STOvSHA #iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/B8UK08jTZA
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) January 13, 2024
While Zas will deservedly grab the headlines for his double, the game was very much the Hacjivah Dayimani show as the Stormers No 8 put in another incredible shift on attack and defence.
Dayimani scored the opening points of the match, showing both strength and fleet-footedness to beat a couple of defenders on his way to the tryline.
Finished with a twirl 💃@THESTORMERS get the first try of the match ⚡️
Watch live on @SuperSportTV, @tntsports, @beinsports_FR and @FloRugby pic.twitter.com/iThqwNGdgU
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 13, 2024
The 26-year-old was unlucky not to pick up a second try in the first half as he broke the line and ran a good 70m up to Sale’s 22. He also saved a certain try in the second half, when he worked back to intercept Sale fullback Telusa Veainu’s pass.
Leading 21-14 at half time, the Stormers dominated possession and territory for most of the first half, but were let down by some soft moments on defence, with Sale staying in the fight thanks to a try from veteran hooker Agustin Creevy just before the break.
Former Stormers flyhalf Robert du Preez slotted a 40m penalty to narrow the scores to just four points in the early stages of the second half.
However, just as Sale thought they were gaining momentum, the Stormers scored a breakaway try from their own 22 thanks to some brilliant interplay between Dayimani and Zas.
Libbok made it a 14-point game with a 40m penalty of his own, but Sale once again worked their way back into the contest by pouncing on a Stormers error in the final 10 minutes to reduce the deficit to seven points.
A nervous finale ensued, but Libbok came up trumps for the Stormers, as he did excellently after receiving the ball in his own 22, beating a chaser and sprinting up to the halfway line, winning a penalty in the process.
While the flyhalf missed the kick that would have denied Sale a losing bonus point, it still allowed the Stormers to trap Sale on the tryline and see out the win.
Now on nine points in Pool 4, the Stormers next travel to Paris to take on Stade Francais in their final group-stage game.
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images