INTERIM head coach Cullie Tucker praised his Connacht players after a battling performance in Cape Town that came within inches of a famous victory. Connacht were heartbreakingly denied a last-gasp win over the Stormers when a potential match-winning try by Santiago Cordero was chalked off following a TMO review for obstruction in the build-up by hooker Dave Heffernan. Jack Carty was poised to convert and seal the win, but the decision left the visitors devastated. The result was particularly tough for Tucker following confirmation earlier in the week of Pete Wilkins’ departure as head coach. Still, Tucker was full of admiration for the fight his side showed: He said: “I’m very proud of my team. They showed the character and passion they have for the club. I thought they were outstanding. "It was a very great game of rugby, congratulations to the Stormers, they deserved their win but I’m very, very proud of my boys.” Connacht now head to Johannesburg with two bonus points in the bag and belief that this type of display could be enough to topple a Lions side beaten at home by Benetton this weekend. The match itself was a high-octane thriller, with both sides scoring four tries in the opening half. Springbok Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu stole the show early, running in a hat-trick inside 26 minutes. He opened the scoring after three minutes and remained a threat throughout the half. Connacht, despite being understrength, kept responding through Shane Jennings, who scored twice, and Conor Oliver, who finished after a strong break by Piers O’Conor and Jennings down the left. A try from Evan Roos gave the hosts the edge before Connacht struck again through Dylan Tierney-Martin, and a brilliant Jennings-O’Conor link-up narrowed the deficit to 26–24 at the break. In the second half, the Stormers extended their lead when Suleiman Hartzenberg crossed in the right corner after a fine move started by Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Cathal Forde was yellow-carded shortly after, but Connacht’s defence held firm, winning a vital scrum penalty near their own posts. That sparked another Connacht surge, and after sustained pressure, Josh Murphy scored in the 66th minute while Warrick Gelant was in the bin. Carty’s conversion hit the post, leaving the gap at five. Despite late efforts from David Hawkshaw and Sean Jansen, they were denied in agonising fashion in the final play. StormersTries: S Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3), E Roos, S HartzenbergCons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3)Pen: Feinberg-Mngomezulu ConnachtTries: S Jennings (2), C Oliver, D Tierney-Martin, J MurphyCons: J Carty (2) Stormers:W Gelant; S Hartzenberg, D du Plessis, D Willemse, S Senatla; S Feinberg-Mngomezulu, S Ungerer (P de Wet 69); A Vermaak (V Matongo 62), A Venter (JJ Kotze 64), S Sandi (B Harris 44–55, 62); S Moerat (c) (JD Schickerling 62), R van Heerden; P de Villiers (D Fourie 63, B Loader 64), M Theunissen (L Nel 62), E Roos Connacht:P O’Conor; C Mullins (S Cordero 74), D Hawkshaw, C Forde, S Jennings; J Carty, B Murphy (M Devine 58); P Dooley (J Duggan 55), D Tierney-Martin (D Heffernan 49), F Bealham (J Aungier 55); O Dowling (J Joyce 65), D Murray (J Murphy 49); C Prendergast (c), C Oliver, P Boyle (S Jansen 55) Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)