In their opening Super Rugby match of 2011, the Stormers prevailed over a valiant Lions side at Newlands yesterday.

The Lions got the game underway when Jantjies took a short kick off down the centre of the field, and as expected the game started at breakneck speed with the home team immediately pressing the Lions defence into action.

The Lions defence held firm and from the resultant 22m drop out Jantjies kicked deep to try to relieve the pressure.

As early as the 5^th minute the Lions infinged at the line out and the debutant Stormers’ fly half Gary van Aswegan, at only 21 years and 8 days old had the chance to open his Super Rugby points account from just 20m out and 18m from the touch line.

The youngster showed reserve far beyond his youthfulness and calmly slotted the kick to give the Stormers a deserved lead.

It was however a short lived lead as the Lions kicked deep from the restart and from the ensuing ruck referee Dickenson ruled that the home team had infringed and awarded the Lions a penalty in front of the poles and some 23m out.

Janties made no mistake, and the game was all tied up at 3 points each.

Shortly after the ensuing kick off the first scrum of the match was awarded as Enrico January knocked on, and as seems to be the norm these days resulted in a free kick to the Lions for an early engagement by the Stormers’ pack.

From the resultant free kick the Lions won another penalty in open play and went for touch, but the line out was sloppy and the Stormers won possession only to see the Lions force another line out on the far side of the field.

There followed a passage of play by the Lions where they sought to dominate the Stormers with ball in hand, with forwards and backs combining sublimely to surge upfield.

Josh Strauss featured several times in a move which stretched the Stormers defence left, right and left again over the breadth of the field, and eventually saw the Springbok hooker Bandiso Maku off load brilliantly in the tackle to release the hard working Waylon Murray who crossed the whitewash for the first try of the match in the 16^th minute. Jantjies failed to add the two points for the conversion, but the Lions had the lead.

The Lions are a different team from 12 months ago, and from the ensuing kick off sought to dominate play and again forced the Stormers to defend like Trojans.

But sustained defence often results in continuing violation of the rules, and after repeated infringements and a general warning, referee Dickenson reached into his pocket for the dreaded piece of yellow plastic and sent the Stormers’ hooker Deon Fourie to the sin bin in the 24^th minute.

That cleared the way for another Stormers debutant, Siyabonga Ntobeni to enter the fray for his first taste of Super Rugby.

The Lions however were unable to capitalise on their numerical advantage, and in the 32^nd minute conceded a penalty 5m inside their own half in centre filed.

The young Stormers pivot stepped up and coolly slotted the penalty to nudge the home side closer to the visitors’ score.

There followed a period of sustained pressure from the Cape outfit, and as is often the case, the defending side infringed and a penalty resulted in the lat minute of first half play.

van Aswegan again made no mistake with the kick from 32m out and just 8m in from the far touch side, and as the half time hooter sounded, the Stromers enrtered the changeroom in the lead by the narrowest of margins.

Half time: Stormers 9 – Lions 8.

After the break the Stromers’ captain Schalk Burger failed to take the field after sustaining an injury during a tackle in the 32^nd minute of the first half. He was deputised by another quality loose forward in Pieter Louw.

Again the Lions started the half stronger, and after putting the Stormers scrum under pressure in the 48^th minute were awarded a penaly when the home teams front row were adjudged to have pulled out of the engagement.

Jantjies slotted the resultant kick and the Lions led once again.

Lions head coach John Mitchell again chose to give reserve hooker Martin Bezuidenhout a full half hour of game time as he had against the Bulls, but this week the hard working youngster didn’t have the same impact as he had against the Champions.

There followed a period of play where both teams sought to dominate but it was again the Lions who eventually prevailed with a sweeping move that saw the exciting young Lions fullback Jaco Taute cross for a try in the 56^th minute.

Jantjies again missed the conversion, but the Lions now lead 16 – 9.

This Stromers side though is made of sterner stuff than that of 3 – 4 years ago, and there was no way that they were going to lay down and accept second place in this encounter.

Following a bout of arial ping pong around the ¾ stage of the game, Alistair Coetzee unleashed one of Newlands favourite sons, Peter Grant on the game, as he pulled off the youngster van Aswegan.

Grant had work to do almost immediately as the Lions were penalised for “hands in” at ruck time in the 63^rd minute.

Grant calmly set the ball up 35m out from the Lions try line and slotted the kick to bring the home side to within a try of the Lions score.

The Newlands faithfull as one to decided it was time to really get behind their beloved Stormers, and the team duly responded, putting the Lions defence to the test yet again, and in the 74^th minute forced a penalty 10m out from the Lions line just 15m from the near side touch line.

Referee Dickenson issued Lions captain Franco vd Merwe with a general warning, and the Stormers , rather than going for the 3 points decided to test the Lions patience in defence and set up the line out on the 5m line.

The Stormers line out prevailed, and from the resultant maul the try was scored by substitute Pieter Louw.

Peter Grant then showed why is so highly regarded in the Cape as he added the conversion from 6m inside the near side touchline to give the Stormers the lead with just 3 minutes left on the clock.

The Stormers now knew that they had to close the game out, and realising that the best form of defence is attack, took the game to the Lions, forcing the visitors deep into their own 22.

But this Lions defence has been moulded into a resilient unit by their New Zealand coach, and they calmly but resolutely held the Stormers wave after wave, and literally seconds before the final hooter sounded forced an error from the attacking side.

The Stormers thought the game was over, but as Stuart Dickenson had already awarded the scrum before the hooter sounded he adjudged that play would continue.

The Lions knew that their only hope was to play the ball almost the entire length of the field and try to force a penaly of somehow cross the tryline.

They tried valiantly with backs and forwards combining to drive the ball up to Stormers 22, but the home side were well disciplined in their defence with no infiringements occurring, and in the 84^th minute the Lions lost the ball forward in contact, forcing referee Stuart Dickenson to blow the final whistle.

Final score: Stormers 19 – Lions 16.

Once again the Lions had scored more tries than their more fancied opponents, but once again had to settle for a single bonus point.

John Mitchell will be bitterly disapointed with another close loss, but perhaps even more disconcerting must be the kicking form of his young pivot Elton Jantjies who has failed to recature the kicking form that bought him national attention in last seasons Currie Cup.

His two missed conversions were ultimately the difference between winning and losing this game.

The Lions will be hoping for a win against the Blues in Johannesburg next Friday, but if they fail in their endeavour, it will be almighty difficult to rescue their Super Rugby campaign.

One thing is sure though, John Mitchell will not let this side lie down and get run over. He’s far too proud a man to allow that to happen.

For the Stormers it gives them a winning start to their campaign, but their coach will be far from happy with their execution at certain times, and they will be severly tested by a fast impoving Cheetahs team next weekend.