Auckland Blues lock Hayden Triggs was red-carded after 25 minutes as Western Stormers triumphed 27-16 at Newlands stadium Saturday to top of the Super 15 table.
Triggs was sent off by referee Craig Joubert after punching Stormers captain Duane Vermuelen twice in an off-the-ball incident spotted by an assistant referee during the second-round game.
Vermuelen, making his 100th southern hemisphere inter-provincial championship appearance, saw his side initially take advantage of their numerical superiority to build an 18-6 half-time lead.
But the anticipated second-half dominance of the South Africans did not materialise and while they finished comfortable winners, never looked like claiming a four-try bonus point.
Blues, narrow losers at home by fellow New Zealanders Waikato Chiefs last weekend, clawed within five points of Stormers 12 minutes into the second half after full-back Charles Piutau created a try.
He found space in the home defence and broke through before passing to replacement loose forward Luke Braid, who sent scrum-half Jimmy Cowan over.
Young fly-half Ihaia West converted to maintain a perfect goal-kicking record in the match after slotting three penalties, and raising his season tally to 29 points.
Stormers kept their nerve, however, and penalties by fly-half Demetri Catrakilis and his replacement, Kurt Coleman, secured a hollow 11-point victory.
Victory lifted the Cape Town team to eight points after a win over Northern Bulls in Pretoria last weekend -- level with Wellington Hurricanes but ahead on points difference.
Defeat left three-time champions Blues second last on the Super 15 table with one point and they could drop to the bottom if Golden Lions avoid defeat at Coastal Sharks later Saturday.
West slotted two penalties and Catrakilis one in the early stages before Stormers scrum-half Nic Groom scored the first try of the match on 11 minutes.
The crowd warmly applauded the decision to kick for touch rather than the posts and the Blues buckled under sustained intense pressure as Groom dived over.
Stormers scored  a second try nine minutes after Triggs was sent off, and it was a brilliant solo effort by left-wing Dillyn Leyds.
Cleanly fielding a high kick from Piutau near the touchline, Leyds cut inside right-wing Ben Lam and darted 40 metres for a try Catrakilis converted.
A knee injury forced Stormers flanker Rynhardt Elstadt to be replaced by Nizaam Carr before Catrakilis closed the first-half scoring with a stoppage-time penalty.
Catrakilis and West added one penalty each before Cowan went over to raise hopes of a heroic comeback by the Blues that were extinguished as Catrakilis and Coleman kicked penalties.
Source: AFP