Lions hold off Stormers in thrilling all-South Africa Super Rugby battle

Sylvian Mahuza settled any Lions nerves with a late try to seal victory

The Stormers suffered their first Super Rugby defeat of the season when they were beaten 29-16 by the Lions in Cape Town.

An inspired Johannesburg outfit scored four ties to one to earn a bonus point as they won at Newlands stadium for the first time in the competition.

Stormers' loss after six victories leaves New Zealand's Canterbury Crusaders as the only team boasting a 100 per cent record after they whipped the Sunwolves of Japan 50-3 for a seventh straight win - the two sides meet live on Sky Sports next Saturday morning in Christchurch.

Billed as the major attraction of round eight, the Cape Town game lived up to expectations with the outcome in doubt until eight minutes from time when substitute winger Sylvian Mahuza scored.

Fly-half Elton Jantjies converted the try to close the scoring and the Lions comfortably contained late attempts by the Stormers to narrow the gap and claim a losing bonus point.

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The Lions triumphed thanks to clinical first-half finishing that produced tries for hooker Malcolm Marx, centre Harold Vorster and flanker Jaco Kriel and magnificent early second-half defending.

Marx opened the scoring with his sixth try of the season before Stormers winger Dillyn Leyds scored a chip-and-chase try that fly-half Robert du Preez converted.

A brilliant angled run by Vorster brought him a try which Jantjies converted for a 12-7 lead that was trimmed to two points when Du Preez slotted a penalty.

Dillyn Leyds scored the only try of the game for the previously unbeaten Stormers

Du Preez and Jantjies exchanged penalties before Kriel, just back from the sin-bin, scored another try for the Lions and Jantjies converted for a 22-13 half-time advantage.

Stormers camped inside the Lions 22 for the first 15 minutes after half time and it seemed inevitable that they would score, only to be repeatedly thwarted by heroic defending.

It was not until the 70th minute that the first points of the second half arrived via the boot of full-back SP Marais that cut the Lions lead to six points.

But two minutes later the visiting side worked the ball wide in midfield to Mahuza, who sped down the touchline to score the try that sealed success and the bonus point.