Dynamic wing Breyton Paulse scored two tries as the Western Stormers stole a semi-final march by beating the Otago Highlanders 27-13 at Newlands Stadium here Saturday.

The homeside outscored the New Zealanders three tries to one, after leading 13-3 at half-time. The four points for a win takes the Cape Town team to 21 points, giving them an outside chance of making the semi-finals.

However, they lie fourth from the bottom and may have left it too late to find their form.

The Stormers played a superior game, running with flair, defending superbly and taking their opportunities when they could.

"They put a good solid wall of defence against us and put pressure on us. They scored some good tries," said Highlanders captain Taine Randell.

Paulse's first was an electrifying try in the sixth minute. He gathering his own chip ahead after he raced down 30 metres the sideline. Braam van Straaten converted, adding to his earlier penalty.

The rest of the half was spent in a tough struggle as both teams, the Stormers especially, defended manfully.

Another Van Straaten penalty and late one by his counterpart Tony Brown
were the half's only other scores. After the break a sustained period of attack ended when rising star De Wet Barry put his midfield partner Robbie Fleck away for the second try. Van Straaten converted.

Brown replied with a three pointer, then converted a close quarters try by Kelvin Middleton, who charged over from a ruck. But, it was an 80 metre run by the Stormers' Springbok backline stars that had the 40,000 crowd on it's feet.

Paulse scored his second by finishing off a superb movement that began in the 22 with man-of-the-match Fleck weaving his way through numerous Highlanders, before offloading to Pieter Rossouw who gained 30 metres before passing out wide to Paulse.

The diminutive wing who marked All Black giant Jonah Lomu in Tests last year almost made it a hat-trick but for a bad pass that roll into touch.