Stormers beat Bristol 49 to 12 in the European Rugby Champions Cup on Saturday afternoon. The result put the hosts firmly back in contention after a mixed run of form. Bristol had looked dangerous in previous outings, but this was a different story entirely.
The scoreboard told the tale from the opening whistle. Stormers moved with purpose, finding space where Bristol's defence had gaps. Four-try performances don't happen by accident — the home side executed with precision. And here's the thing, the visitors never really found their rhythm.
Bristol's recent results suggested they could match anyone. They'd beaten Northampton and Gloucester in convincing fashion. But cup football has its own rules, and the travel proved costly. Things came to a head early, and the gap widened after that.
We'd backed the visitors with 73 per cent confidence going into this one. The prediction didn't come off. It wasn't a tactical mismatch so much as a failure to adapt to the conditions. Bristol should have too much for teams like this on paper, but paper doesn't play rugby.
The victory moves Stormers closer to the knockout stages. Bristol's European campaign has now taken a setback. The table goes out of the window in these games — you either perform or you don't.
