Stormers' slide deepens as Lions muscle their way to victory at Ellis Park

The tone was set early, with the Lions bossing the scrums, winning repeated penalties and pinning the visitors deep inside their own half.

That pressure told in the 22nd minute when flank Sibabalwe Mahashe burst through the defensive line to open the scoring before Chris Smith added the extras.

The Lions extended their lead after a clever chip from Morne van den Berg, nudged on by Kelly Mpeku, sat up perfectly for Henco van Wyk, who dotted down for the Lions' second try. Smith's conversion made it 14-0 at the break.

If the Stormers hoped for a quick response after halftime, those plans were shredded within minutes. Replacement centre Erich Cronje powered over from close range to stretch the lead to 21-0, sending the Ellis Park crowd into full voice.

To their credit, the Stormers finally showed some fight. Lock JD Schickerling crossed the whitewash in the 54th minute, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu converting to reduce the deficit. But just as momentum threatened to swing, the Lions responded calmly, Smith slotting a penalty to restore a 14-point cushion.

The final quarter was all about defence. Despite playing with 13 men after yellow cards - one later upgraded to a red - the Lions refused to buckle and twice held up Stormers attackers over the line.

Referee Christopher Allison eventually blew for full-time as the Lions surged further into playoff contention and the Stormers' worrying slide continued.