Connacht produced a remarkable late surge to defeat the Stormers 33-24 in Cape Town, scoring three tries in the final 16 minutes to secure a crucial United Rugby Championship victory.
In a dramatic turnaround, the Irish province overturned a second-half deficit to claim their sixth consecutive URC win, significantly boosting their playoff hopes with three regular-season games remaining.
Stormers flanker Deon Fourie received a yellow card in just the third minute, and Connacht capitalized immediately when Shamus Hurley-Langton crossed in the corner after a lengthy TMO review. Sam Gilbert converted to give the visitors an early 7-0 lead.
The hosts responded strongly, with Evan Roos exploiting a gap in Connacht's defense to score behind the posts eight minutes later. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's conversion and a penalty on the stroke of halftime gave the Stormers a 10-7 advantage at the break.
Ntuthuko Mchunu extended the Stormers' lead early in the second half, but Connacht's Paul Boyle responded with a close-range try to keep the contest tight. Feinberg-Mngomezulu appeared to have secured the win for the South African side with their third try, only for Connacht centre John Devine to power over immediately at the other end.
The decisive moment came with 10 minutes remaining when Ben Murphy collected a loose ball and sprinted away to score under the posts, putting Connacht ahead 26-24. Sean Naughton sealed the victory with an intercept try in the dying moments, with Gilbert's fourth successful conversion ensuring a nine-point margin.
"This was a massive character performance from the boys," said Connacht coach Stuart Lancaster. "To come to Cape Town and produce that kind of finish shows the resilience we've built throughout this winning run."
The victory moves Connacht up to sixth in the URC standings, while the Stormers missed an opportunity to close the gap on league leaders Glasgow.