Four-try haul for Tambwe as Lions batter Stormers

Madosh Tambwe enjoyed an outing to remember as he scored four tries in the Lions' 52-31 battering of the Stormers in Johannesburg.

The young winger had crossed three times inside a devastating opening 15 minutes, before going over early again in the second half as South Africa Conference leaders the Lions made it five wins and three defeats in Super Rugby.

The Lions had lost three of their previous four, but Tambwe scored his first on the counter-attack inside the first minute and had a second after some neat recycling work by the Stormers' line.

Andries Coetzee's chip-kick played in Tambwe for his third and, although Wilco Louw put Stormers on the board, Lionel Mapoe and Kwagga Smith dotted down as the Lions led 31-10 at the break.

Franco Mostert stretched the lead early in the second half and Tambwe scored his fourth by collecting Elton Jantjies' kick and racing to the line.

Damian Willemse and Paul de Wet scored either side of Ruan Combrinck's touchdown for the Lions and a late penalty try at least brought some respectability for the Stormers, but it did little to dampen a dominant Lions win.

LIONS 52 (Tambwe 4, Mapoe, K. Smith, Mostert, Combrinck tries, Jantjies 6 cons) STORMERS 31 (Louw, Willemse, de Wet tries, penalty try; Marais 2 cons, pen, Willemse con)