Fullback Joe Pietersen scored 21 points as Western Stormers opened their Super 14 campaign with a 26-13 away win over Golden Lions in a Super 14 match at Ellis Park Saturday.

Two tries shortly before half-time broke the resistance of the Lions after the Stormers had dominated possession during the first half hour of the all-South Africa southern hemisphere championship clash.

Leading 26-6 at the break, the Western Cape side looked set for a comfortable win.

But the inexperienced Lions team, who started with four Super 14 debutants, came back strongly in the second half as the Stormers wilted on a hot afternoon on a yielding pitch.

The Lions made four changes at half-time, including the substitution of veteran former All Blacks fly-half Carlos Spencer, and injected more pace and urgency into their game.

Earl Rose moved up from fullback to take Spencer's place at pivot and he and substitute scrumhalf Jacques Coetzee operated well behind a resurgent Lions pack.

But the home side were only able to break through once, when substitute fullback Michael Killian crossed for a try.

"We didn't get it together in the first half," lamented Lions captain Cobus Grobbelaar. "It's pointless to play catch-up rugby all the time."

New Stormers captain Schalk Burger said: "The first half was pretty good but unfortunately we couldn't keep it up. We spent the whole second half defending."

Springbok stars Bryan Habana and Jaque Fourie, both making their first appearance for the Stormers, showed they would add penetration to the team's backline.

Wing Habana put Pietersen away for the first try after 34 minutes with a perfectly timed pass after he had made space on attack, while centre Fourie burst through to score against his former team four minutes later after a quick pass from scrum-half Dewaldt Duvenhage.

"We're working on some structures," said Pietersen. "Some of it fell into place tonight."

Despite their spirited second half showing, the Lions, under new coach Dick Muir, face a tough season and may struggle to improve on their 12th place finish of last year.

But the Stormers, who finished a disappointing 10th in 2009, made an encouraging start, with their forwards performing solidly despite the early loss through injury of loosehead prop Wicus Blaauw.

The Stormers looked dangerous on attack while their defence close to the line stood firm in the face of a Lions onslaught at the start of the second half.

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