Stormers beat Scarlets 52-40 after late fightback

The Stormers beat the Scarlets 52-40 in Cape Town after surrendering a 19-point halftime lead, with replacement Yaqeen Ahmed scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to secure the United Rugby Championship victory. The hosts led 33-14 at halftime, but the Scarlets rallied to tie the match at 40-40 with about 10 minutes remaining. Ahmed’s late tries settled the contest and gave the Stormers a bonus-point win. The Stormers scored eight tries to the Scarlets’ six. Joe Roberts led the visitors’ response with a hat-trick. Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, an 18-year-old flyhalf, converted four of his six reported attempts. The Scarlets also scored through Ioan Jones, Macs Page and captain Josh Macleod. For the Stormers, the try scorers included Zachary Porthen, Haashim Pead, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Seabelo Senatla, Deon Fourie and Olly Reid, alongside Ahmed’s pair. The Stormers built their early advantage with tries from Porthen and Pead, then added scores from Mchunu, Senatla and Fourie before the break. The Scarlets remained within reach, with Roberts and Jones scoring in the first half. Page and Roberts struck soon after halftime, and further tries from Macleod and Roberts brought the teams level....