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Mauls, Minutes and Mindset: The Formula Driving the Stormers’ Relentless Winning Run

Adnaan MohamedNews, RugbyLeave a Comment on Mauls, Minutes and Mindset: The Formula Driving the Stormers’ Relentless Winning Run
By Adnaan Mohamed

The DHL Stormers’ march to 10 consecutive victories has followed a familiar pattern for elite teams operating at the sharp end of European competition. Nothing is rushed. Nothing is improvised. Everything is rehearsed.

As they prepare for their next Investec Champions Cup assignment against Harlequins, the Stormers arrive with a growing reputation as one of the competition’s most physically cohesive sides. It’s a team that wins collisions and squeezes opponents through precision rather than volume.

For forwards coach Rito Hlungwani, the explanation is disarmingly simple.

“It was a very tough game, lots of sore bodies,” Hlungwani said earlier this week. “But business carries on as usual. We’ve got a massive game waiting for us in London and we want to make sure we’re ready – and we will be ready.”

Winning the Week Before Winning the Weekend

Across both domestic and European competition, the Stormers remain unbeaten this season, combining a perfect league record with two Champions Cup victories that announced their credentials beyond their own borders.

But Hlungwani is clear that the difference is created midweek, not under stadium lights.

“We spend Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays training against each other, and that’s actually more time than an 80-minute game,” he said.

That framing matters. In modern rugby, ball-in-play time is limited and moments are decisive.

“[A game] is usually like 36 minutes ball in play.”

The Stormers have leaned into that reality by ensuring their training environment mirrors and exceeds match intensity, particularly in the set-piece exchanges that shape European knockout rugby.

Maul Volume, Not Maul Mystique

Few sides in this season’s Champions Cup have leaned as heavily on controlled maul pressure, and fewer still have executed it with the same consistency. But the Stormers’ maul is not a surprise weapon, it is a rehearsed sequence built on repetition.

“This weekend we had 18 lineouts, and 12 of those were mauls,” Hlungwani explained. “At training we’ll do 40 or 50 lineouts and more than 20 mauls. The cohesion is built there.
“What people see on a Saturday is just the result.”

For European opponents, the warning is clear. The Stormers do not need chaos to score. They are content to grind, squeeze and recycle pressure until the resistance buckles. It profile that travels well in Champions Cup rugby.

Selection Is Irrelevant, Engagement Is Not

Another hallmark of the Stormers’ rise has been squad-wide ownership, a trait often visible in teams that sustain winning runs rather than peak briefly.

“Whether you played or not, everyone watches the game, everyone reviews it,” Hlungwani said. “In meetings, anyone can be asked a question. Everyone is engaged in the process. The guys who didn’t play are often the first to speak about what we need to fix. It’s a collective mindset.”

That collective sharpness has fostered internal competition, particularly among the forwards, where depth is increasingly non-negotiable in a tournament that demands rotation without dilution.

A Champions Cup Test Built for the Front Rows

Prop Oli Kebble, who is closing in on a personal milestone, believes the Stormers’ physical authority is forged through internal challenge rather than opposition fear.

“Training sessions are sometimes harder than games,” Kebble said. “We challenge each other all week, whoever’s playing and whoever’s not. That’s bred the scrum culture we take into matches.”

Against a Harlequins side known for mobility and depth, Kebble expects the contest to hinge on whether physical parity can be maintained across 80 minutes.

“They’ve got good front-row depth, but so do we,” he said. “To compete in the URC and Champions Cup, you need two frontline packs. It doesn’t matter who wears the jersey, we’re going there to take them on.”

Why This Stormers Model Travels in Europe

For international observers, the Stormers’ profile now feels familiar. The Cape side is built around set-piece accuracy, collective clarity and repeatable pressure. In Champions Cup rugby, where margins shrink and emotion spikes, those traits often matter more than flair.

The Stormers are manufacturing inevitability. And as Hlungwani suggests, by the time the weekend arrives, most of the work is already done.

Stormers shift focus to European Champions Cup after edging Bulls in derby

Adnaan MohamedNews, RugbyLeave a Comment on Stormers shift focus to European Champions Cup after edging Bulls in derby
By Adnaan Mohamed

The bruises from the north–south derby are still tender, but the Stormers have little time to admire their handiwork. The Vodacom Bulls were a familiar foe, a known storm navigated through discipline and resolve. Europe, however, offers a different climate altogether, and Champions Cup week arrives with no mercy for hesitation.

The Stormers’ 13–8 URC win over the Bulls was a contest decided by defensive steel and belief rather than fluency. Yet it was precisely that type of victory which sharpened the focus of head coach John Dobson as the conversation turned north, toward London and a showdown with Harlequins.

Dobson revealed that even as the derby teetered on a knife-edge at 8–8, his faith in the Stormers’ defensive structure never wavered.

“It’s going to sound a bit full of hubris, but I never was worried in that game,” Dobson said.

“It sounds curious and I really don’t mean that with any kind of arrogance, but the way we defended even in the first half, it just didn’t feel like we were under any sort of defensive pressure.

“Our defence was really, really good and I didn’t feel like they were going to open us up.”

That confidence was rewarded when Ntuthuko Mchunu powered over in the 79th minute, extending the Stormers’ unbeaten run across the URC and Investec Champions Cup to 10 matches. More importantly, it reinforced a mindset which captain Salmaan Moerat believes has become second nature within the squad.

“I do think it becomes a habit. We don’t want to sound arrogant at all, but we’ve been in deeper holes before,” Moerat said.
“If you look back at that Munster game in Limerick, I don’t think many people gave us a chance. In that first half we were down to 13 men for 20 minutes away from home, and we managed to win that game.
“That does give you belief that there’s something in the tank and that the boys will pull it through.”

That belief now travels with the Stormers into Europe, where the broader stakes extend beyond a single fixture. Dobson has been clear that South African teams must shift from participants to contenders if they are to reshape the Champions Cup landscape.

“I think South African teams need to try and make a statement to host playoffs in Europe, and we’re in a position after that Bayonne win where we can have a go at it,” he said.
“But to win in London will be really tough.”

Harlequins pose a very different puzzle to the Bulls’ direct approach. Their game thrives on tempo, width and broken-field chaos. It’s he rugby equivalent of moving from trench warfare to aerial combat. For the Stormers, the challenge will be maintaining defensive cohesion without blunting their own ambition.

Yet if the derby victory offered a glimpse of anything, it is that this Stormers side is increasingly comfortable living in the tension. They may not dominate territory or possession, but they dominate moments. And in Europe, moments decide seasons.

Champions Cup week will test their depth, discipline and nerve, but the Stormers arrive not as tourists, but as a team convinced it belongs on this stage.

Stormers v Bulls: When Bok Futures and Proven Steel Collide

Adnaan MohamedNews, Rugby, SpringboksLeave a Comment on Stormers v Bulls: When Bok Futures and Proven Steel Collide
By Adnaan Mohamed

There are derbies, and then there are rugby events that feel bigger than the competition table. The Stormers versus Bulls north–south clash at a sold-out DHL Stadium on Saturday belongs firmly in the latter category. It’s a fixture where reputations are tested as brutally as defensive lines.

The first URC blockbuster of 2026 arrives wrapped in symbolism. Damian Willemse will make his 100th start for the Stormers. Ruan Nortje returns to captain the Bulls. And at flyhalf, the generational baton hangs tantalisingly between two Springboks: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Handré Pollard.

One represents the present tense of South African rugby’s future: instinctive, elastic, daring. The other is its hardened past and still-relevant present: precise, economical, forged in World Cup fire. Saturday is less about rivalry than rugby arithmetic: what happens when flair meets control under maximum pressure?

Stormers: Tempo, Power and Cape Town Edge

The Stormers receive a significant boost with the return of Willemse and Feinberg-Mngomezulu, restoring balance to a side that thrives on momentum. Willemse’s presence in midfield alongside Wandisile Simelane gives the hosts ballast and punch, while Cobus Reinach and Feinberg-Mngomezulu form a halfback pairing designed to accelerate the game.

Director of Rugby John Dobson framed the occasion without hyperbole:

“This is one of the biggest club rugby matches in the world and will be played in front of a sold-out DHL Stadium. It should be an incredible experience for everyone there.

We know that we will need to be at our absolute best throughout the game to come away with the result.”

Out wide, Suleiman Hartzenberg and Leolin Zas provide finishing pace, with Warrick Gelant lurking at the back like a counter-attacking wildcard. Up front, captain Salmaan Moerat marshals a pack that blends aggression with continuity, supported by Evan Roos and Ben-Jason Dixon in the loose — players built for derby combat.

Bulls: Structure, Steel and World Cup Calm

The Bulls arrive in Cape Town with a side subtly reshaped for control rather than chaos. Ruan Nortje’s return to the starting XV restores authority to the pack, while Marco van Staden adds breakdown venom. The front row of Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw remains intact, signalling a clear intent to contest the set-piece battle.

Behind them sits a familiar Bulls spine: Pollard at 10, Willie le Roux at 15, David Kriel in midfield — experience stacked upon experience. Canan Moodie’s move to centre injects line-breaking speed, while Paul de Wet starts at scrumhalf against his former side.

Head coach Johan Ackermann underlined the method behind the selection:

“We’ve assessed the Sharks game and made adjustments where needed. Ruan’s leadership is vital, and bringing in players like Canan Moodie and Marco van Staden gives us the right balance for this contest. It’s about alignment and intensity as we start the year.”

The Key Battlegrounds

The obvious headline is flyhalf, but the game may hinge elsewhere. The midfield collisions between Willemse and Moodie will dictate gain-line success. The breakdown duel with Roos and Dixon versus Van Staden and Louw, could determine territory. And off the bench, both sides possess finishers capable of swinging momentum late.

This is not a derby built on nostalgia. It is one shaped by present ambition and future consequence. The Stormers want tempo and emotion. The Bulls want structure and silence.

Cape Town will decide which philosophy holds firm when the noise peaks.

Team Sheets

DHL Stormers:
15 Warrick Gelant; 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Leolin Zas; 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach; 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Ruan Ackermann; 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Salmaan Moerat (c); 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Replacements: Lukhanyo Vokozela, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Sazi Sandi, Adré Smith, Ruben van Heerden, Paul de Villiers, Stefan Ungerer, Jurie Matthee.

Vodacom Bulls:
15 Willie le Roux; 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 David Kriel, 11 Stravino Jacobs; 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Paul de Wet; 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marco van Staden; 5 Ruan Nortje (c), 4 Cobus Wiese; 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: Akker van der Merwe, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Khuta Mchunu, Ruan Vermaak, Reinhardt Ludwig, Nizaam Carr, Embrose Papier, Devon Williams.

Match Information

Date: Saturday, January 3
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Kick-off: 18:00 (16:00 GMT)
Referee: Griffin Colby (SA)
TMO: Marius Jonker (SA)

Springboks Brace for Heavyweight 2026 Rugby Season

Adnaan MohamedNews, Rugby, SpringboksLeave a Comment on Springboks Brace for Heavyweight 2026 Rugby Season
Adnaan Mohamed

The Springboks’ 2026 Test calendar reads like a greatest-hits album pressed into green and gold vinyl. Ten fixtures. Eight heavyweight opponents. Iconic stadiums. Familiar foes. Old grudges. New chapters.

From the winter chill of Ellis Park in July to facing the All Blacks in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Four-Test Series, followed by the furnace of a late-season Nations Championship finale, South Africa’s world champions are primed for a campaign that promises collision, combustion and classic rugby theatre.

The season kicks off with a trio of home Tests against northern hemisphere visitors, as England, Scotland and Wales tour South Africa in July. England arrive at Ellis Park on 4 July still licking their wounds from a 29–20 defeat in 2024, while Scotland head to Loftus Versfeld a week later hoping to improve on a 32–15 loss. Wales complete the mid-year run at Kings Park on 18 July, returning to the scene of a humbling 73–0 defeat in 2025, a reminder of just how ruthless the Springbok machine can be when fully oiled.

August and September then ignite Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series as the All Blacks cross swords with the Boks in a four-Test epic that will stretch both squads to breaking point. Ellis Park (22 August), Cape Town Stadium (29 August) and FNB Stadium (5 September) host the opening three clashes, with a fourth Test scheduled for 12 September at a venue still to be confirmed. The last time the sides met in 2024, South Africa delivered a commanding 43–10 statement, but history teaches that past results mean little when black meets green.

The season’s final act unfolds on the road in November, with the Springboks entering the Nations Championship cauldron against Italy (6–8 November), France (13–15 November) and Ireland (21 November), all at venues yet to be confirmed. Italy will seek to overturn a 32–14 defeat from 2025, while France and Ireland, beaten 32–17 and 24–13 respectively, loom as familiar obstacles on the high-pressure European stage.

From altitude to ocean, from ferocious rivals to wounded challengers, the 2026 Springbok campaign is built like a forward pack: heavy, balanced and relentless. Every Test is a tackle waiting to happen. Every whistle, a fresh battle cry.

Springboks 2026 Fixtures

July – Home Tests (Nations Championship)

  • 4 July: vs England – Ellis Park, Johannesburg
  • 11 July: vs Scotland – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
  • 18 July: vs Wales – Kings Park, Durban

August–September – All Blacks Series

  • 22 August: vs New Zealand – Ellis Park, Johannesburg
  • 29 August: vs New Zealand – Cape Town Stadium
  • 5 September: vs New Zealand – FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
  • 12 September: vs New Zealand – Venue TBC

November – Nations Championship (Away)

  • 6–8 November: vs Italy – Venue TBC
  • 13–15 November: vs France – Venue TBC
  • 21 November: vs Ireland – Venue TBC

SA Sport 2025: A Year-in-Review

Adnaan MohamedComrades Marathon, Cricket, Features, Hockey, News, Rugby, Springboks, Swimming, Totalsports Two Oceans MarathonLeave a Comment on SA Sport 2025: A Year-in-Review
By Adnaan Mohamed

In South Africa, sport has always been more than results. It is identity, catharsis and connection. In 2025, that truth surged again, from the collective power of the Springboks to the solitary courage of ultra-marathoners chasing dawn. This special edition captures a year when excellence became habit and belief became currency.

RUGBY: THE SPRINGBOKS – A STANDARD THE WORLD STILL CHASES

If global rugby were measured in tectonic plates, the Springboks spent 2025 shifting them.

South Africa’s national side operated with the assurance of champions who know their system is both unforgiving and evolving. They defended trophies, dominated tours and suffocated opponents with a brand of rugby that blended brute force with surgical intelligence.

The crowning individual honour came when Malcolm Marx was named World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year. It was well deserved recognition for a player who plays the game like a controlled demolition. Around him, the emergence of creative talents such as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu ensured the Bok blueprint remained future-proof.

“The Springboks didn’t just win in 2025, they imposed a rhythm the rest of the world struggled to breathe in.”

CRICKET: PROTEAS REWRITE THEIR HISTORY

At Lord’s, cricket’s most sacred address, South Africa finally confronted its past and walked beyond it.

The Proteas’ World Test Championship triumph was more than silverware. It was a release. Decades of near-misses dissolved as a team led by coach Shukri Conrad and led by Temba Bavuma played with clarity, courage and conviction.

Where previous Proteas sides carried scars, this one carried belief. The victory announced South Africa’s return to cricket’s highest table, not as guests, but as equals.

Proteas Women mirrored that excellence, reaching global finals and reinforcing the depth and durability of South African cricket across genders.

ATHLETICS: SPEED, SCIENCE AND STAYING POWER
Akani Simbine : The Constant

In an era of fleeting sprint dominance, Akani Simbine remained the constant, anchoring relay success and delivering world-class performances with metronomic consistency. His longevity at elite speed became its own form of greatness.

ROAD RUNNING: A YEAR THE CLOCK COULDN’T CONTAIN

South Africa’s roads became theatres of defiance in 2025, places where age, expectation and perceived limits were dismantled.

Elroy Gelant : The Marathon Reset

At 38, Elroy Gelant shattered Gert Thys 26-year-old South African marathon record, slicing through time with the precision of a veteran who understood patience as power. His run didn’t just reset a record, it reset belief.

Glenrose Xaba : Queen of the Circuit

Glenrose Xaba ruled the SPAR Grand Prix like royalty, sweeping the series with relentless cadence and tactical control. Her dominance elevated women’s road running into mainstream conversation.

Maxime Chaumeton : Breaking the Mental Barrier

By dipping under 27 minutes for 10km, Maxime Chaumeton didn’t just break a record, he broke a psychological ceiling. The ripple effect will be felt for years.

The Wildschutt Brothers : From Ceres to the World

Adriaan and Nadeel Wildschutt continued to anchor South Africa’s distance legacy. Their performances reinforced a simple truth: endurance excellence is forged through environment, discipline and humility.

ULTRA-DISTANCE RUNNING: WHERE LEGENDS WALK TOWARDS PAIN
Gerda Steyn – The Golden Girl of Endless Roads

In the brutal, beautiful realm of ultra-marathons, Gerda Steyn remained peerless. Victories at both the Totalsports Two Oceans 56km and the Comrades Marathon confirmed her status as South Africa’s undisputed queen of endurance.

Steyn doesn’t race opponents, she negotiates with terrain, climbs mountains with calm authority and descends with fearless precision.

Tete Dijana : Defender of the Down Run

The Comrades Marathon came alive as Tete Dijana successfully defended his Down Run title. His aggressive, fearless approach reminded everyone that Comrades champions are not merely runners, they are architects of suffering and triumph.
“In 2025, South Africa didn’t just win Comrades, it owned the road.”

FOOTBALL: FOUNDATIONS OVER FIREWORKS

For Bafana Bafana, 2025 was about structure and progression rather than spectacle. Key wins, disciplined performances and youth-level success hinted at a system slowly learning consistency, laying bricks rather than chasing shortcuts.

BEYOND THE BIG CODES: DEPTH ACROSS THE BOARD

From hockey triumphs to netball growth, swimming, rowing and youth multisport success, Team South Africa’s broader sporting ecosystem thrived. Medal tables and qualification campaigns confirmed a vital truth: the base of South African sport is wider than ever.

THE BIG PICTURE: WHAT 2025 REALLY MEANT

What unified South Africa’s sporting year was not just success, but sustainability.

  • Rugby showed depth and evolution
  • Cricket conquered its mental frontier
  • Athletics blended speed with staying power
  • Road and ultra-running delivered global relevance
FINAL WHISTLE

If sport is a language, then South Africa spoke it fluently in 2025, sometimes loudly, sometimes quietly, but always with intent. From scrums that bent spines to runners who bent time, this was a year where the nation didn’t wait for greatness. It ran towards it and crossed the line together.

Rassie Erasmus thanks Bok faithful with Christmas Walk

Adnaan MohamedNews, Rugby, SpringboksLeave a Comment on Rassie Erasmus thanks Bok faithful with Christmas Walk
By Adnaan Mohamed

If Christmas had a team talk, Rassie Erasmus delivered it in takkies, not a tracksuit. And instead of white lines and whistles, he used a seaside promenade and the gentle rhythm of footsteps.

On Christmas morning, the Springboks head coach once again became Cape Town’s most followed pedestrian, drawing hundreds of supporters to the Blouberg coastline after issuing an open invitation on social media.

“This is to thank you for your passionate support and the way you carry us,” Erasmus wrote. “Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie” (They don’t know what we know).”

At precisely 06:00, because even festive strolling runs on Bok-standard time, the six-kilometre walk rolled out from outside Doodles Beachfront Restaurant.

The route was simple, symmetrical and suspiciously well conditioned: three kilometres out, three kilometres back, with Table View as the turning point and Christmas breakfast waiting at full-time.

The tradition, now in its second year, began the way most good ideas do: accidentally.

“Merry Christmas to you guys as well. We just started last year, I think it was the night before Christmas and a few friends said let’s go for a walk, and a few guys in the neighborhood (joined us),” said Erasmus.

“We sent messages on What’s App and told people whose maybe lonely or family that wants to join and this year, I think it doubled (in size) or something like that.”

There were no bibs, no briefings and mercifully no shuttle runs.

“So, no rules we just get together, walk three kilometres out, three kilometres back, sign a few things, give a photo or so and everybody goes and do their thing,” said Erasmus, effectively unveiling the most relaxed Springbok camp session ever staged.

Beneath the humour and flip-flops sat a serious point. This was Erasmus’ way of tipping his cap to the supporters who fill stadiums, timelines and living rooms.

“It means everything. If they weren’t there, we would be playing in front of nobody and for nobody,” he said.

“I live here in Blouberg and I know most of the people here. I know a lot (of them) are not from Blouberg, who drove here.

“But it’s just a small little thank you to them and (a chance) to mingle with them on the ground. We sometimes don’t get a chance to do that so it’s wonderful.”

While the Springboks continue to march relentlessly at the top of World Rugby, their head coach chose, just for one morning, to slow the tempo. No trophies, no tactics.

He just a shared walk, a few selfies and the quiet reminder that even world champions occasionally win simply by putting one foot in front of the other.

Dylan Maart’s Stormers surge has Springbok written all over it

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Adnaan Mohamed

Dylan Maart’s rugby journey is unfolding like a perfectly weighted grubber, unexpected, precise and suddenly impossible to ignore.

On loan from Currie Cup champions Griquas, Maart is now streaking down the touchline for the Stormers. The Wellington-born speedster is finishing tries under the bright lights of the Investec Champions Cup, leaving defenders clutching at air and selectors sitting up straighter.

Maart wasted no time announcing himself in blue and white. A debut try against Munster in Limerick was followed by a brace against La Rochelle in the Investec Champions Cup, both five-pointers delivered on a silver platter by Springbok fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

“Look, to get a try in the first place for the Stormers is always special,” Maart said.

“Two or three, I was very lucky to be in the right place at the right time.

“If you have someone like Sacha, who has all the talent in the world, on your inside and who can find every space, you just have to be in the right place.

“So, yes, it was exciting to get those two tries and to have a say in the team’s victory at the end of the day.”

Those early scores have propelled Maart from squad player to headline act, and now the Wellington-born speedster is preparing for another milestone: his first run-out at DHL Stadium.

“Making my debut, playing overseas for the first time and obviously the results have been going our way,” he said ahead of the Lions derby.

“I’m very excited to play my first game at the DHL Stadium in front of the home crowd … exciting times.”

The rise has been as steep as a midfield chip-and-chase.

“If I think of where I was a year ago to where I am now, I never thought I’d have the opportunity to play here at the Stormers, so I’m very grateful and very excited.”

While Maart is carving his own attacking lines, his compass points firmly towards an old friend and local hero, Springbok winger Kurt-Lee Arendse, who also cracked international rugby later than most.

“I actually didn’t play rugby until after high school, but I watched a lot of rugby,” Maart revealed.

“There’s a lot of guys that I can mention. But for me, growing up, it was Bryan Habana.

“Cheslin [Kolbe] now, as well as one of my friends, Kurt-Lee Arendse. He lives in Paarl, I’m from Wellington so he’s a guy I look up to and can always ask if I need some advice.

“He’s also a role model for me. And very inspiring also. To see that he can also make it. So, that’s something for me to look forward to.”

At 29, when many players are settled into predictable careers, Maart rolled the dice. He left his job as a warehouse worker at a bottling plant and bet everything on rugby. The risk was rooted in hardship.

“I played rugby in primary school, but nothing in high school, for various reasons.

“Things weren’t good at home. There were many nights when there was no food and we went to sleep hungry.”

At 13, he worked as a taxi guard, opening doors, collecting fares and carrying bags, just to put food on the table and secure a ride to school in Paarl. Rugby, though distant, never left his heart.

When opportunity finally knocked, Maart smashed the door down. He rose with Boland Cavaliers, became a pillar of a Griquas side that ended a 55-year Currie Cup drought, and is now lighting up the URC and Champions Cup in Stormers colours.

The Stormers’ season mirrors Maart’s surge. They are unbeaten in the Investec Champions Cup, eight wins from eight in all competitions, and positioned to host a last-16 European play-off.

Saturday’s URC clash against the Lions at DHL Stadium, only their third home game of the campaign, offers Maart another stage to sprint his late-blooming dream closer to green and gold.

Like Arendse before him, Maart is proof that in rugby, timing matters less than belief, and that some wings only truly catch the wind when the stakes are highest.

Stormers top pool but Dobson sees derby danger after La Rochelle win

Adnaan MohamedNews, RugbyLeave a Comment on Stormers top pool but Dobson sees derby danger after La Rochelle win

By Adnaan Mohamed

The DHL Stormers may have crossed the whitewash six times, but Director of Rugby John Dobson insists the performance that dismantled a youthful Stade Rochelais outfit would be stopped cold by South African rivals if repeated in the coming weeks.

The 42–21 Investec Champions Cup win at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, the Capetonians’ eighth straight victory in all competitions, lifted them to the top of Pool Three, ahead of four-time champions Leinster. Yet beneath the glossy scoreline, Dobson saw cracks that could be ruthlessly exposed in the Vodacom URC derbies that loom next.

The Stormers flew out of the blocks. Wings Dylan Maart and Leolin Zas struck inside the opening seven minutes, the hosts surging ahead as if the contest might be over before it began. Instead, composure ebbed, forced passes crept in, and an understrength La Rochelle, stacked with academy talent, were invited back into the arm-wrestle.

“I thought we were so energised at the start and so good, and it just felt like we got seduced into it being too easy,” said Dobson.

“To produce the intensity that we started that game with was really good for us. However, it was a learning experience, and we had to manage that game better at the 15-to-20-minute mark.”

That window proved pivotal. Infringements and errors disrupted Stormers rhythm, allowing La Rochelle to find a foothold and trail just 16–7 at the break – a reminder that scoreboard pressure means little without territorial and tactical control.

“It was about the outcome in the end, but it wasn’t a great process from us,” Dobson admitted.

“There’s definitely stuff we didn’t get right that we spoke about during the week, and there’s work to do before the local derbies [in the Vodacom URC]. That said, a home win in this competition is non-negotiable.”

Captain Salmaan Moerat echoed the coach’s concerns, praising the intent but demanding more from the engine room.

“But as a pack we know we could have been much better. There’s still a lot for us to improve on,” Moerat said.

He also highlighted the side’s response after prop Neethling Fouché was yellow-carded for a high tackle.

“It’s never ideal to get a yellow card,” he said. “But what was really rewarding was seeing how the group galvanised and worked harder for each other when someone was off the field.”

If the Stormers’ structure wavered, individual brilliance helped steady the ship. Flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach pulled the strings, while Man of the Match Paul de Villiers hunted turnovers like a seasoned openside despite his tender years.

“It took some moments from Paul or Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] to bail us out. That was a little bit frustrating that we got ourselves in that position,” Dobson explained.

“Two years ago, we were just getting cleaned out [at the breakdowns], and now we have Paul, who is like a limpet and his decision-making is so good.

“He is very special.”

Dobson believes the result keeps the Stormers firmly in the European hunt, even as he demands sharper execution.

“We want to be part of this tournament,” he said. “South African teams don’t have a great record in it, and we feel we’ve got an opportunity.

“Performances like this give us belief, but we also know we have to be better. I think we can start to dream about getting deeper into this tournament than we have got before.”

The immediate focus, however, shifts to domestic danger. The Lions arrive in Cape Town next weekend, followed by a clash with the Bulls on January 3 – fixtures where sloppiness will be punished.

“We have to get the stuff right and it is no use just talking about it in the week,” Dobson warned.

“We know that performance [in Gqeberha] doesn’t beat a fired-up Lions team in Cape Town or a Bulls team [on January 3].”

Dobson revealed the Stormers’ coaches have been studying the Lions closely, noting their threats across the park.

“We had a good look at them as coaches,” he said.

“We know that Henco [van Wyk] gets the best contact metres, we know about Quan’s [Horn] line breaks, and we know about their efficacy at the breakdown.

“They made their intentions clear that they want to rest and prepare for this game. I promise we won’t be lacking intensity.”

For the Stormers, the winning streak in Europe and Gqeberha has offered momentum, but the real examination now comes at home, where fast starts mean nothing without the patience to finish the job.

Featured Photo: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images

Stormers Reinforced by Nine Springboks for High-Stakes Champions Cup Battle in Gqeberha

Adnaan MohamedNews, RugbyLeave a Comment on Stormers Reinforced by Nine Springboks for High-Stakes Champions Cup Battle in Gqeberha
Adnaan Mohamed

The DHL Stormers will take the field at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday with a formidable array of national talent, as nine Springboks have been named in the starting lineup for their Investec Champions Cup clash against two-time champions Stade Rochelais.

The match, scheduled for 15:30, is one of the most anticipated fixtures of the pool stage, and the Stormers fresh off a 26–17 away win over Bayonne, are bolstering their ranks with returning stars.

Warrick Gelant’s recovery from illness restores stability and counter-attacking quality to the backfield. He is joined by wings Dylan Maart and Leolin Zas, who continue to offer pace and finishing ability. Damian Willemse has been rested due to a slight hamstring niggle but is expected to return next week.

The midfield sees experienced centre Ruhan Nel reunited with Jonathan Roche, while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and veteran scrumhalf Cobus Reinach form a halfback pairing capable of dictating tempo and territorial pressure.

Evan Roos, influential off the bench last week, returns to the No. 8 jersey. Alongside Ben-Jason Dixon and Paul de Villiers, the loose trio is expected to play a crucial role in both breakdown intensity and defensive organisation.

In the tight five, locks JD Schickerling and captain Salmaan Moerat provide continuity and lineout strength. André-Hugo Venter starts at hooker, flanked by Springbok props Ntuthuko Mchunu and Neethling Fouché.

The bench offers significant depth, with JJ Kotzé, Connor Evans, Ruan Ackermann, Imad Khan and Wandisile Simelane, all starters in Bayonne, joined by experienced forwards Oli Kebble, Sazi Sandi and Marcel Theunissen.

Director of Rugby John Dobson emphasised the challenge ahead:

“It was great to win away from home, but we have to back that up now and we know that it will take a big effort against a highly physical Stade Rochelais team. We always get such fantastic support in Gqeberha… we’re looking forward to a match with Test match intensity.

The final squad list will be officially confirmed by EPCR at 14:00 on Friday, with changes still permitted before the deadline.

DHL Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotzé, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Ruan Ackermann, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Imad Khan, 23 Wandisile Simelane.

Blitzboks Defend Cape Town Crown in Sevens Thriller

Adnaan MohamedNews, RugbyLeave a Comment on Blitzboks Defend Cape Town Crown in Sevens Thriller
By Adnaan Mohamed

The Blitzboks needed every ounce of heart, hustle and hard-headed defence to cling onto their HSBC SVNS Cape Town title on Sunday with a 21–19 comeback classic victory over Argentina.

In a match that swung like a loose pass in a gale, South Africa and Argentina traded three tries each, but it was one final defensive stand, the kind that rattles ribcages and rewrites scripts, that lifted a heaving DHL Stadium crowd of 31,941 to its feet.

With time up, Argentina launched one last assault. The Blitzboks didn’t blink. They smashed, scrambled and suffocated until the whistle sounded and the hosts became the first team to defend the Cape Town title.

Blitzboks Roar Back to Stun Argentina in the final

Argentina struck first, slicing from a midfield scrum as Luciano Gonzalez dotted down for 7–0. But the Blitzboks hit straight back: Zain Davids intercepted deep inside the South African 22, the ball was whipped wide, and Donavan Don burned the touchline to level at 7–7 after Ricardo Duarttee’s conversion.

Then came the Marcos Moneta show. The Pumas’ speedster pounced from the restart to make it 14–7, and early in the second half he tore away again for a 19–7 lead that quietened the stadium.

South Africa’s reply? Guts, grit, and the kind of chaos rugby that Cape Town loves.

Debutant Nabo Sokoyi dipped, darted and danced from 50 metres out to drag the Blitzboks within five (19–14), before replacements cranked up the tempo. When a turnover popped loose, Christie Grobbelaar streaked under the uprights to give South Africa a 21–19 lead with just 30 seconds left.

The restart went out on the full handing Argentina one last chance. But the Blitzboks’ defensive wall slammed shut with a series of bruising hits before winning the penalty that sealed a famous, unbeaten home weekend.

“We had to dig deep,” said coach Philip Snyman afterwards.

“But this team thrives when their backs are against the wall, and the crowd carried us. Cape Town was unbelievable.”

Semi-Final: Blitzboks Survive French Scare

Their 22–17 semi-final victory over France earlier on Sunday was a rollercoaster of its own. It was a match rich in momentum swings and sprinkled with individual magic.

Shilton van Wyk continued his hot streak with a first-minute try, before Tristan Leyds showed quick wits and quicker feet with a tap-and-go effort for 10–0.

France hit back through Jordan Sepho, but Van Wyk pounced on a fortunate bounce from the restart to sprint 60 metres for his second, Duarttee converting for 17–5.

The French replied through Josselin Bouhier either side of halftime, levelling at 17–17 as he chased down a bouncing ball reminiscent of Van Wyk’s effort.

But Ryan Oosthuizen produced the decisive blow, crashing over after a turnover in the French 22 to seal the Blitzboks’ place in the final.

“We stayed calm and trusted our system,” said Snyman. “The boys showed great composure when it mattered.”

FULL SCORERS

Semi-final: South Africa 22 (17) – France 17 (12)

Blitzboks tries: Shilton van Wyk (2), Tristan Leyds, Ryan Oosthuizen
Conversion: Ricardo Duarttee
France tries: Jordan Sepho, Josselin Bouhier (2)
Conversion: Stephen Parez Edo Martin

Final: South Africa 21 (7) – Argentina 19 (14)

Blitzboks tries: Donavan Don, Nabo Sokoyi, Christie Grobbelaar
Conversions: Ricardo Duarttee (3)
Argentina tries: Luciano Gonzalez, Marcos Moneta (2)
Conversions: Santiago Vera Feld (2)