# Stormers rout Bristol 49-12 in Champions Cup opener

> South African side Stormers overwhelm English Premiership side Bristol Bears with seven tries in their first pool-stage match of the season.
- Title: Stormers rout Bristol 49-12 in Champions Cup opener | Shortify
- Summary: South African side Stormers overwhelm English Premiership side Bristol Bears with seven tries in their first pool-stage match of the season. Stormers…
- Keywords: stormers, bristol bears, champions cup, rugby union, pool stage, sports, rout, Bristol, 49-12, Champions, Cup, opener
- Source: BBC Sport — https://bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/cknv0mz64j16o
- Published: 2026-10-17T16:44:10.069+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: stormers, bristol bears, champions cup, rugby union, pool stage, sports
## Stormers dominate Bristol in Champions Cup
South African side Stormers defeated English Premiership side Bristol Bears forty-nine twelve in their first pool-stage match of this season's Champions Cup.
## Seven tries overwhelm Bristol defence
Seabelo Senatla, Leolin Zas twice, Jonathan Roche twice, Warrick Gelant and Andre-Hugo Venter scored tries for Stormers. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted all seven.
## Stormers play with numerical disadvantage
Stormers hooker JJ Kotze received a twenty-minute red card before half-time for head-to-head contact in a tackle with Bristol captain Kieran Marmion. Leolin Zas was sin-binned for a high tackle.
## Bristol host Munster in next fixture
Bristol, who have won two of their first three Premiership games, host Munster on twelve December before facing Racing ninety-two and Bordeaux in January to complete the pool phase.
## Key takeaway

Stormers defeated Bristol Bears forty-nine twelve in the Champions Cup pool stage, scoring seven tries despite playing with reduced numbers for parts of the match.