Late ill discipline and lack of bench experienced cruelled the Queensland Reds' bold push for an upset Super Rugby win over South African powerhouse the Stormers.
Just as they did when losing to the Bulls in Pretoria last week, the improving Reds made a strong move after halftime and piled on two quick tries.
The touchdowns by fullback Karmichael Hunt and left winger Eto Nabuli and a conversion by Jake McIntyre gave the visitors the lead at 22-17 after 52 minutes at Newlands and there seemed a real chance that the Reds (1-1-6) could topple the Stormers (6-2) who sit second behind only the Chiefs in the entire competition.
Stormers halfback Nic Groom hit straight back, however, scoring against the upright.
Last quarter discipline and bench impact was always going to be crucial in the fast-paced game and replacement Stormers five eighth Brandon Thomson calmly potted three penalty goals in 10 minutes to claim a 33-22 advantage as the hosts went on to win 40-22.
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The Stormers were able to call on the likes of great Springboks flanker Schalk Burger to help close out the match while the Reds bench is young and raw.
"They really raised the intensity in that last 20 minutes, and we probably weren't experienced enough and seasoned enough to go with them, which was disappointing," said Reds co-coach Matt O'Connor.
"They had quality across the 23 whereas we had a few fresh faces, and a few promising young kids, so that was potentially the difference at the end of the day.
"But the effort was very, very pleasing, and I think we did a lot of really good things which should give us a little bit of confidence.
"But the margins are tiny at this level, and we've got to learn the lessons and make the adjustments so that we're better moving forward."
Winless on their South African tour, the Reds host the Cheetahs in Brisbane next Saturday night.
