Cardiff play-off hopes teetering after Stormers loss

United Rugby Championship

Stormers (19) 34

Tries: Zas 2, Hartzenberg 2, Evans Cons: Willemse 2, Feinberg-Mngomezulu Pen: Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Cardiff (12) 24

Tries: Southworth, Hamer-Webb, Millard, Hughes Cons: Sheedy 2

Cardiff's hopes of a United Rugby Championship play-off place are hanging by a thread following defeat by Stormers in Cape Town.

Matt Sherratt's side secured one losing bonus point to initially lift themselves into the top eight places.

But Cardiff have to wait on matches involving Edinburgh and Ulster and Munster and Benetton later on Friday night to see if they finish in the top eight.

Both Stormers and Cardiff were reduced to 14 men due to dangerous tackles, with Cardiff prop Danny Southworth shown a 30th-minute red card before Stormers full-back Damien Willemse was dismissed just before an hour.

Stormers wings Leolin Zas and Suleiman Hartzenberg both scored two tries, while replacement lock Connor Evans also scored for the South African hosts.

Southworth had scored the opening Cardiff try before wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb, centre Harri Millard and hooker Dafydd Hughes also crossed.

Stormers consolidated their fifth place and will travel to face the fourth-place side in the quarter-finals.

Cardiff started the final weekend of matches just outside the top eight in ninth spot, knowing a win would have guaranteed a play-off place.

Number eight Taulupe Faletau and Wales lock Teddy Williams started among five changes from the side that lost 45-21 to Bulls in Pretoria, where Cardiff failed to pick up a bonus point and other results went against them.

South Africa fly-half Manie Libbok returned from injury for Stormers among 10 changes.

It was the hosts who opened the scoring with a well-worked try for Zas who strolled over before Cardiff prop Southworth crossed.

There was a tribute in the 14th minute for former South Africa wing Cornal Hendricks who died on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack aged 37.

It was the current Stormers number 14 Hartzenberg who then strolled over on his 50th appearance.

Cardiff were guilty of some poor kicking before Southworth received his marching orders for a high tackle on prop Neethling Fouche. This forced Cardiff into a change with Corey Domachowski coming on for flanker Alun Lawrence.

Stormers took advantage of their extra man as Zas latched on to a Willemse chip with Cardiff full-back Cameron Winnett failing to ground the ball.

Cardiff retaliated with a well-worked try as Hamer-Webb collected a Sheedy cross-kick.

Italian referee Gianluca Gnecchi controversially ruled out Sheedy's conversion, which the official adjudged had not been taken in the 60-second allocated time.

URC bosses should be concerned there was no stop-clock in the Cape Town stadium to tell the kicker how long he had, with Sheedy having to rely on a verbal countdown from Gnecchi.

Hartzenberg crossed for his second score and the bonus-point try after collecting a cross-kick from Libbok.

Stormers' strength in depth was evident when Springbok fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu replaced fellow South Africa international Libbok.

Cardiff refused to give up and almost produced a brilliant try following a scything counter-attack involving Lloyd, Teddy Williams, Aled Davies and Hamer-Webb before the move broke down.

The visitors eventually scored a third try after fine work from Hamer-Webb released Millard to sprint over.

Willemse was shown a red card for a high, dangerous tackle on the Cardiff wing which took more than five minutes for the Italian officials to give.

This evened up the numbers as Stormers piled on the pressure, especially at the scrum, with Zas spurning a clear chance to score his hat-trick.

Cardiff's hopes were hampered when Winnett was outjumped in a high-ball duel and Evans galloped over.

Cardiff's resilience was shown when replacement hooker Hughes dived over in the 77th minute for the bonus-point try.

Sheedy converted to bring the Welsh side to within seven points of their opponents, which would have given Cardiff two match points.

But Feinberg-Mngomezulu's last-gasp penalty gave the Stormers a 10-point advantage which took away what would have been a losing bonus match point for Cardiff.

Stormers: Damian Willemse; Suleiman Hartzenberg, Wandisile Simelane, Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas; Manie Libbok, Herschel Jantjies; Sti Sithole, Joseph Dweba, Neethling Fouche, Salmaan Moerat (capt), JD Schickerling, Dave Ewers, Louw Nel, Marcel Theunissen.

Red card: Willemse (59).

Replacements: Scarra Ntubeni, Vernon Matongo, Sazi Sandi, Connor Evans, Paul de Villiers, Paul de Wet, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ben Loader.

Cardiff: Cameron Winnett; Josh Adams, Harri Millard, Ben Thomas, Gabriel Hamer-Webb; Callum Sheedy, Aled Davies; Danny Southworth, Evan Lloyd, Keiron Assiratti, Josh McNally (capt), Teddy Williams, Alun Lawrence, Alex Mann, Taulupe Faletau.

Replacements: Dafydd Hughes, Corey Domachowski, Rhys Litterick, Rory Thornton, James Botham, Dan Thomas, Johan Mulder, Rory Jennings.

Red card: Southworth (30).

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)

Assistant referees: AJ Jacobs & Hanru van Rooyen (SARU)

TMO: Andrea Piardi (FIR).