STORMERS WYS HULLE KHAN

Kapenaars klap French span despite playing with 14 men

- BY LEIGHTON KOOPMAN

THE Stormers opened their Champions Cup campaign with a gritty and mature performance, grinding out a 26-17 victory over Bayonne in France despite receiving a 20-minute red card in the second half on Friday.

What had been a controlled and composed outing suddenly shifted when the red card to replacement lock Adre Smith put them under groot pressure as their hosts started finding gaps.

Instead of unravelling, as they probably would have in the past, the Kapenaars dug in and delivered one of their most determined defensive efforts in recent seasons to seal the victory.