After their 48-12 triumph in their United Rugby Championship clash against Glasgow Warriors at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, here’s how the Stormers players performed on Saturday.
Stormers player ratings v Glasgow Warriors
15 Damian Willemse: The double Rugby World Cup winner returned to full-back after some matches on the wing, and he brought a calmness to the Stormers’ cause as he was solid under the high ball and had some good attacking moments. 7
14 Wandisile Simelane: The 28-year-old had few attacking opportunities but was brave in the aerial duels and did what was expected of him in the execution of his defensive duties. He was eventually replaced by highly rated 18-year-old Markus Muller after 66 minutes. 6
13 Ruhan Nel (c): The home side’s skipper kept Glasgow Warriors‘ defence busy as he made some effective carries in midfield and crossed for a deserved try in the second half, while also putting in an impressive defensive performance. 7
12 Dan du Plessis: Did what was expected of him on both sides of the ball with his highlight being a winning turnover during a solid 62-minute shift with Jurie Matthee coming on as his replacement. 6
11 Leolin Zas: Just like fellow winger Simelane, he saw little ball, but he worked hard off the ball and did catch Glasgow off guard with some fine line breaks while also impressing on defence. 7
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: South Africa’s golden boy made a costly error when he gifted Glasgow possession with a needless grubber kick in the build-up to Ollie Smith’s try in the first half, but put that setback behind him and came back strongly as the match progressed. Showed his class with a brilliant grubber kick which set up Nel’s try and finished with a 23-point haul after crossing for a try and succeeding with six conversions and a couple of penalties. 8
9 Cobus Reinach: The veteran Bok was yellow-carded late in the opening half for a cynical defensive foul but apart from that indiscretion, he delivered a crisp service to his outside backs and caught the eye with some fine attacking runs. 7
8 Evan Roos: The URC‘s leading try-scorer crossed for a customary try in the first half and continued to impress as a ball carrier while also shining on defence, where he made a match-high 18 tackles. 8
7 Ben-Jason Dixon: Although the Springboks loose forward made little impact with ball in hand, he did what was expected of him in other areas as he was solid in the lineouts and on defence. 6
6 Paul de Villiers: Another strong all-round performance from the Springboks prospect, who did his bit as a ball carrier and on defence while also winning a crucial turnover before Keke Morabe replaced him in the final quarter. 7
5 Ruben van Heerden: The Montpellier-bound second-row took the fight to the visitors as he was a willing ball carrier, won his fair share of lineout possession, and had a solid defensive outing. finishing with 13 tackles made. 8
4 Adré Smith: Another solid performance at the coalface of the home side’s forward effort from the 28-year-old as he did well in the lineouts and also caught the eye on defence. 7
3 Neethling Fouché: Showed his class with a deft offload to Mchunu from a choreographed move on the Warriors’ five-metre line, which resulted in a try for his fellow prop. Fouché also caught the eye with a strong scrummaging performance before being replaced by Zachary Porthen in the 56th minute. 7
2 André-Hugo Venter: The 24-year-old was forced off the field in the 46th minute due to a head knock, after an illegal hit from Adam Hastings, but Venter can be happy with his efforts as he was solid in the execution of his core duties, especially his defensive duties, as he made 12 hits. 7
1 Ntuthuko Mchunu: The Springboks rookie was in the thick of the action from the outset as he went down with an injury early on but recovered before crossing for two well-taken tries in quick succession inside the opening quarter. Mchunu also delivered a fine scrummaging performance before Oli Kebble replaced him midway through the second half, and the Bok’s efforts were rewarded with the official man-of-the-match award. 9
Replacements: Stormers director of rugby John Dobson will not be happy with the scrummaging efforts of his back-up props – Kebble and Porthen – who conceded three successive penalties after replacing Mchunu and Fouché. They improved in that department in the game’s dying moments while the likes of Morabe and Muller had some good moments in the game’s closing stages. 6