Champions Cup: Stormers overcome red card to topple Bayonne in France

The visitors made a dream start after forcing a turnover from a Bayonne maul and racing the length of the field, with scrumhalf Imad Khan finishing off a superb movement to open their account. Clinton Swart added the conversion for an early 7-0 lead.

Bayonne dominated territory through a series of early penalties and lineouts, but the Stormers' defence stood firm. Eventually the pressure told in the 16th minute when Federico Mori chipped over the advancing defence to score in the corner, narrowing the margin to 7-5.

The Stormers retook the initiative via a series of penalties as Bayonne repeatedly fell foul of the laws, allowing the visitors to take a 16-5 lead into halftime.

The second half turned into a severe test of character. Debutant Ntuthuko Mchunu produced a thrilling early carry after the restart, but the Stormers were dealt a potential hammer blow in the 49th minute when Adre Smith was shown a 20-minute red card for stamping.

Bayonne capitalised on their numerical advantage soon after as Arnaud Erbinartegaray pounced on a charged-down clearance to score, cutting the gap to six. The pressure continued to mount and, after relentless phases near the line, giant lock Lucas Paulos crashed over in the 61st minute. Tom Spring's conversion handed Bayonne their first lead of the night at 17-16.

With the match slipping away, the Stormers' forwards responded. Despite briefly being reduced to 13 men when Leolin Zas was yellow-carded for a mistimed aerial challenge, the visitors began to turn the screw at scrum time. Penalty after penalty was conceded by Bayonne, leading to two yellow cards for cynical infringements.

From a series of five-metre scrums, the Stormers finally broke through in the 76th minute. With advantage in hand, Paul de Villiers powered over from close range to restore the lead. Swart's conversion made it 23-17 and shifted the pressure squarely back onto the home side.

In the dying moments, Evan Roos was held up over the line, and from the ensuing advantage, Swart struck a penalty that initially appeared to rebound off the upright. After a TMO review confirmed the kick had crossed over, the final three points were awarded, sealing a deserved 26-17 victory.

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