By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Edinburgh Rugby defeated the DHL Stormers 17-13 in a tightly contested match at The DAM Health Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The visitors struggled in the first half, with Edinburgh bossing the territory by far to the Capetonians.
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi was making his first appearance in a Stormers shirt in over five years, but it was Edinburgh who struck first with a long-range James Grayson penalty.
Stormers’ attempts to make inroads into Edinburgh territory were repeatedly foiled by Liam McConnell, with the young flanker stealing three lineouts against the throw in the first half alone.
Magnus Bradbury thought he had crossed for the game’s opening try just before half-time, but the referee judged he had made a double movement in the act of touching down and ruled it out.
Two penalties in three minutes early in the second half from Stormers fly-half Yaqeen Ahmed put the visitors in front as a strong breeze continued to impact the quality of attacking rugby from both sides.
The Stormers’ lineout was wobbly throughout and it was their undoing as Edinburgh scored the opening try just before the hour mark.
Wandisile Simelane thought he had wrestled the lead back for the visitors when he found his way to the line, but replays showed Piers O’Connor had done just enough to force the Stormers winger into touch before he touched down.
The reprieve was short-lived as a dominant Stormers scrum in the shadow of the posts allowed number eight Hacjivah Dayimani to peel off and power over.
The Edinburgh response was impressive. They battered at the Stormers line before swinging it wide to substitute Rory McHaffie. The 19-year-old did brilliantly to gather James Grayson’s pass off the deck and beat the cover defence to score on his home debut to secure a hard-earned victory.
The Stormers now reset for next Saturday’s coastal derby against the Sharks at Cape Town Stadium, the first of four successive home matches for the Capetonians in October.
Sean Everitt’s Edinburgh, who beat Ulster in their season opener, will travel to Italy to face Zebre next week.
Edinburgh – Tries: Paul Hill, Rory McHaffie. Conversions: James Grayson (2). Penalty: Grayson.
Stormers – Try: Hacjivah Dayimani. Conversion: Yaqeen Ahmed. Penalties: Ahmed (2).