Fred Zeilinga kicked 17 points as the Lions clinched a 37-19 upset win over the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday.

In a match marred by five yellow cards, the Lions outplayed the Stormers from start to finish, with the hosts struggling to settle into any meaningful rhythm.

The Stormers were dealt a setback when Sergeal Petersen and Nama Xaba were late withdrawals from the match due to Covid-19 protocols.

The forced changes increased when centre Dan du Plessis was forced off the field early in the game with a head injury, to be temporarily replaced by Tristan Leyds.

As it turned out, those were disruptions the Stormers could ill afford. The Lions surprisingly dominated the scrum and exploited that advantage, racing to a 10-point lead inside the opening 15 minutes.

The Stormers hit back with two tries scored by Stefan Ungerer and Seabelo Senatla but things went south for the home team soon after.

The Lions found their second wind and, with the pack laying the foundation at the set piece, chalked up 20 unanswered points.

That said, the Stormers were their own worst enemy at times. Their high error count will be of great concern for coach John Dobson, as will their lack of discipline.

With the game well out of reach, the Stormers scored a consolation try in the 78th minute, but – fittingly so – it would be the Lions to finish on a high as Francke Horn dived over for his second try of the match to wrap up a big win.