Stormers dent Sale's chances of qualification

Manie Libbok scored 13 points as Stormers beat Sale Sharks at DHL Stadium

Investec Champions Cup Pool 4

Stormers: (14) 40

Tries: Schickerling, Libbok, Sithole, Gelant, De Wet, Venter Cons: Libbok 4, Du Plessis

Sale Sharks: (0) 0

Stormers cruised past Sale Sharks to claim a bonus-point victory and kickstart their Investec Champions Cup campaign in round three.

The South African side failed to register a single point in their opening two matches, but Stormers director of rugby John Dobson promised the home fans a show in Cape Town and his players duly delivered.

JD Schickerling marked his 50th Stormers appearance with the opening try before Manie Libbok collected a defensive box kick inside his own half before running clear to score the second.

Sale started the second half brightly, but they lacked the clinical edge of their hosts as Luke James spilled a simple cross-field kick for what had been a clear route to the line.

The visitors would rue James' misfortune as Sti Sithole powered over from close range for Stormers' third try, before Warrick Gelant wrapped up the bonus point before the hour mark.

Paul de Wet came off the bench to step his way to the line for try number five, before fellow replacement Andre-Hugo Venter burrowed over the whitewash to add further gloss to an impressive display.

Stormers move off the bottom of Pool 4 and replace Sale in fourth place - the final qualification spot - on points difference.

The Premiership side drop to fifth in the table, with a final home game against Toulon to come.

Sale undone in Cape Town sunshine

Cape Town is familiar territory for the five South Africans in the Sale side, including the Du Preez brothers trio, but the game was anything but comfortable for the visitors.

The opening try was all about outside centre Wandisile Simelane, who stepped past a rooted Joe Carpenter to feed Schickerling for a run-in.

It quickly went from bad to worse for Carpenter, who was the only Sale player not in the attacking line when Stormers stole possession deep inside their own territory before firing a box kick to relieve pressure.

Libbok had the quickest reaction and charged after the ball to take it cleanly, before beating the Sale full-back with ease to double his side's advantage.

Stormers lost South Africa prop Frans Malherbe to the sin-bin before the break and Sale responded with intensity after the interval, but James could not catch a perfectly-weighted cross-field kick from his midfield partner Sam Bedlow, for what would surely have been Sale's passage back into the game.

Instead, the hosts punished Sharks with a powerful finish by Sithole.

Sale captain Rob du Preez found himself in the sin-bin two minutes later for a late hit on Suleiman Hartzenberg before Carpenter joined him on the naughty step for a deliberate knock-on.

Briefly facing 13 men, Stormers were not to be denied and Gelant wrapped up the seemingly inevitable bonus point out wide.

Sale had moments of possession but they conceded eight turnovers and failed to make an inroad on the scoreboard as De Wet and Venter scored further tries for Stormers.

The South African side travel to Racing 92 in their final game of the pool stages, while Sale welcome three-time winners Toulon, with both teams level on points.

Line-ups

Stormers: Gelant; Hartzenberg, Simelane, Roche, Loader; Libbok, Ungerer; Sithole, Kotze, Malherbe, Moerat (capt), Schickerling, Fourie, Ewers, Theunissen.

Replacements: Venter, Vermaak, Fouche, Van Heerden, Roos, De Villiers, De Wet, Du Plessis.

Sale Sharks: Carpenter; Roebuck, James, Bedlow, Reed; R du Preez (co-capt), Warr; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, John, Van Rhyn, Andrews, JL du Preez, 7. T Curry (co-capt), 8. D du Preez.

Replacements: McElroy, McIntyre, Harper, Beaumont, Bamber, Thomas, Ma'asi-White, B Curry.

Referee: Ludovic Cayre (Fra)