Stormers overwhelm makeshift Edinburgh

EDINBURGH’S URC play-off hopes suffered a major dent as Stormers leapfrogged them in the table with a thumping seven-try victory in Cape Town to boost their own chances of a home semi-final.

Suleiman Hartzenberg grabbed a hat-trick for the rampant hosts and fellow wing Leolin Zas and No.8 Evan Roos both doubles as Sean Everitt’s makeshift side were completely outgunned.

Stormers struck first with a multi-phase attack before Manie Libbok’s cross-kick found Hartzenberg to score.

A loose offload from Roos allowed Matt Currie to flick the ball up for Edinburgh wing Jake Henry to bundle through the cover and mark his professional debut with a try.

But Stormers soon had their second score, more swift hands allowing the impressive Damian WilMAN lemse to put Hartzenberg over for his second.

With scrum-half Paul De Wet and centre Dan du Plessis to the fore it was one-way traffic, but Roos knocked on just before the line and Wandisile Simelani lost control of the ball in the act of dotting down.

Stormers’ third try was a horror show for the visitors, Libbok’s cross-kick fumbled by Ben Vellacott before Ben Healy flicked the ball backwards with no team-mate in sight as Zas picked up and sprinted over.

Edinburgh did hit back when Bill Mata peeled off the back of a lineout to barrel over, but Stormers brought up a bonus point with the last play of the first half from another set-piece move, Du Plessis doing the damage again before Simelani and Willemse put Zas over for his second.

Hartzenberg had his hat-trick score early in the second period after a Simelani offload before Roos charged over for the first of his two tries, both from well-executed lineout mauls.

Replacement hooker Patrick Harrison finished off one for Edinburgh – who has replacement prop Luan de Bruin yellow carded late on – but a losing bonus-point proved beyond them.