Rookie first-five Robert du Preez scored 23 points as the Stormers completed a dominant 33-9 Super Rugby victory over South African rivals the Bulls in their season-opener in Cape Town.
Robert du Preez of the Stormers lines up a kick. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
22-year-old scored the opening try of the game and added three conversions and four penalties in a fine solo performance in just his second match for the Cape Town-based team.
Lock Eben Etzebeth and hooker Scarra Ntubeni added further scores while all the points for the visitors came via the boot of number 10 Francois Brummer with three penalties.
The return of the Southern Kings to Super Rugby ended in disappointment following a comprehensive 43-8 loss to fellow South African side the Sharks.
The visitors sealed their bonus-point victory thanks to tries from wingers Odwa Ndungane (two) and Lwazi Mvovo, flanker Jean-Luc du Preez, fullback Willie le Roux and centre Paul Jordaan.
The home side were in the game at halftime as they trailed 15-8 having scored a try via flanker Chris Cloete and a penalty from first-five Elgar Watts, but lost their defensive shape as the visitors ran in three tries within 20 minutes of the restart.
Fullback Reece Hodge scored 20 points as Melbourne Rebels got their campaign off to a winning start with a 25-19 victory over Western Force in Perth.
Debutant Hodge ran in two tries, both of which he converted, to go with two penalties after number eight Adam Thomson had crossed the tryline in the first half in just an eighth away victory for the Rebels in their sixth season of Super Rugby.
First-five Jonno Lance scored all the Force's points with a try that he converted and four penalties.
New South Wales Waratahs got their Super Rugby season off to a solid start with a comfortable 30-10 victory over their oldest rivals the Queensland Reds at Sydney Football Stadium.
Tries from skipper Michael Hooper, winger Mark Carraro and debutant centre David Horwitz gave them a 20-0 halftime lead and halfback Nick Phipps crossed after the break to bag the bonus point.
Fullback Damian McKenzie and skipper Sam Cane scored tries in the last 15 minutes to give the Chiefs a 27-21 victory in a hard-fought contest against the Crusaders in Christchurch.
The Chiefs also had tries from winger Shaun Stevenson and centre Setareki Tamanivalu, while McKenzie contributed seven points with his boot as the twice champions rallied from a 13-8 halftime deficit.
Crusaders first-five Richie Mo'unga scored one of the home side's tries while fullback David Havili got the other and kicked 11 points on his first appearance.
Team mate Reed Prinsep had a debut to forget, however, the loose forward clashing heads with Mitchell Graham moments after coming on as a replacement and being taken off the pitch on a mobile stretcher after a long delay while he received treatment.
