Title-chasing Stormers overcome tenacious Dragons

United Rugby Championship

Stormers (14) 29

Tries: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2, Roos, Simelane Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 3 Pen: Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Dragons (7) 21

Stormers climbed back into second place in the United Rugby Championship with a win against spirited Dragons in Cape Town.

The South African side were far from their best but ran in four tries to move four points behind leaders Glasgow.

Stormers led 14-7 at half-time thanks to a brace by South Africa fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu with lock Seb Davies responding for Dragons.

The home side turned the screw in the second half with the help of a dominant scrum, with tries by number eight Evan Roos and wing Wandisile Simelane earning a maximum haul.

Dragons, with Wales hooker Elliot Dee making a first appearance since a shoulder injury on the opening weekend of the season, made the title hopefuls work for the spoils.

The URC table is congested but Stormers boss John Dobson spoke before the game about a race to the top four rather than eight, with home advantage key in the play-offs.

He also warned their guests would not roll over, and so it proved.

Stormers only led 14-7 at the break through a mixture of their own errors and Dragons tenacity.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu went over twice in the first quarter from Imad Khan passes but Dragons, who lost open-side Harry Beddall to a head injury, responded when lock Davies charged over for a first try since joining from Cardiff last summer.

The wasteful Stormers then needed a try-saving tackle by Feinberg-Mngomezulu on scrum-half Rhodri Williams to prevent a leveller.

That the home side went for posts with a penalty early in the second half was a nod to Dragons’ efforts, Feinberg-Mngomezulu stretching the lead to 17-7.

Stormers blew more opportunities but finally got their third try through Roos in the 50th minute after a scrum against the head five metres out.

Dragons responded through flanker Young from close range, his first for the club, and continued to frustrate the hosts until a horrid bounce allowed Simelane to get onto his own grubber when approaching the hour.

Dyer was denied a try by Feinberg-Mngomezulu getting back for a simultaneous grounding of the ball, but went over from an inside ball to make it an eight-point game with seven minutes left.

Stormers: Willemse; Senatla, Nel (capt), du Plessis, Zas; Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Khan; Matongo, Kotze, Fouche, Smith, Schickerling, Fourie, Theunissen, Roos.

Replacements: Venter, Mchunu, Sandi, Dixon, de Villiers, Dayimani, Ungerer, Simelane.

Dragons: C Evans; J Rosser, Paea, Owen, Dyer; O’Brien (capt), R Williams; Morris, Dee, Coleman, Douglas, S Davies, Woodman, Beddall, Keddie.

Replacements: Coghlan, W Jones, James, Langton-Cryer, Young, Armstrong, J Lloyd, Inisi.

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland).

Assistants: Aimee Barrett-Theron & Sean Muller (South Africa).