Tag: Stormers

‹ Back

Highveld pride, coastal fire: Bulls-Lions derby looms as Stormers face Shark Tank test

Adnaan MohamedRugbyLeave a Comment on Highveld pride, coastal fire: Bulls-Lions derby looms as Stormers face Shark Tank test
By Adnaan Mohamed

For Bulls and Lions supporters, this is not just another round of the Vodacom URC , it’s a weekend that could shape seasons, shift momentum and settle old scores. And hovering over it all is the coastal showdown in Durban, where the Stormers walk into the Shark Tank knowing that what happens there will ripple all the way up to the Highveld.

This is the URC at its sharpest: derbies that feel like knockout blows, log positions tightening like a defensive line, and belief becoming just as valuable as points.

Bulls vs Lions: Highveld pride at stake

Ellis Park will crackle long before kick-off. When Bulls and Lions meet, form becomes fragile and history heavy. The Lions still carry the memory of their 43-33 ambush at Loftus in November – a result that silenced Pretoria and reminded everyone that derby days obey no log table.

For the Lions, this match is about turning admiration into advancement. Back-to-back draws away to Perpignan (20-20) and the Ospreys (24-24) showed resilience and character, but also left a familiar ache: close, but not enough. Sitting seventh on the URC log with 24 points, they are still in the playoff conversation – but the gap to the leaders is starting to stretch like a missed tackle.

A home derby is the perfect place to change that narrative.

The Bulls, meanwhile, arrive with something they have not had for weeks: momentum. After seven straight losses across competitions, Johan Ackermann’s men have rediscovered belief with successive wins over Pau and Edinburgh. Like a pack that has finally found cohesion at scrum time, the Bulls are standing taller, tackling harder and trusting their systems again.

They have climbed to ninth on the log and are now within striking distance of their Gauteng rivals. Their Springboks are once again playing like world champions, and with Neil de Bruin added to the coaching mix, structure and clarity are beginning to show.

For Bulls supporters, Ellis Park is a chance to prove that this revival is real – not just a flicker, but a flame.

Stormers vs Sharks: a derby that matters to everyone

While Highveld eyes are fixed on Johannesburg, the Stormers’ trip to Durban matters deeply to Bulls and Lions supporters alike. The Sharks’ emphatic 30-19 win in Cape Town did more than end an unbeaten run – it reshaped the South African Shield picture and tightened the race for playoff places.

John Dobson did not sugar-coat the defeat, calling it “our worst performance of the season”. And he was right. The Stormers, previously No 1 in the URC for lineouts, mauls and scrums, were dismantled at the set-piece. Their usually fluent game dissolved into a fog of misfires and penalties as the Sharks imposed themselves with authority.

Now comes the harder test: responding in the Shark Tank, where confidence grows teeth and momentum feeds on noise.

For the Sharks, JP Pietersen’s impact has been immediate and tangible. Four wins from six since taking interim charge, and that Cape Town performance was the clearest sign yet of a team rediscovering its bite. From 14th to 11th on the log, they now sit just two points outside the top eight – very much alive.

It was not a lucky win either. It was comprehensive, controlled and settled long before the final whistle. The Stormers did not simply play badly; they were never allowed to breathe.

For Bulls and Lions fans, the Durban result could be pivotal. A Sharks surge complicates the playoff race. A Stormers response could reassert Cape Town dominance. Either way, the ripple effect will be felt far beyond the coast.

The log tells the story

The Stormers have slipped to second, three points behind Glasgow Warriors, though with a game in hand on the Scots and other overseas sides. They remain contenders – but now under pressure.

The Lions hold seventh, competitive but restless. The Bulls are climbing, confidence swelling. The Sharks are charging from behind.

This is the stage of the URC where seasons tilt.

Why this weekend matters

For Lions supporters, this is about finally landing a knockout blow in a tight fight.
For Bulls supporters, it is about proving the revival has substance.
For everyone, the Stormers vs Sharks derby is a measuring stick – of resilience, belief and championship credentials.

The URC is no longer a marathon. It is a series of collisions. And this weekend, every one of them counts.

URC Round 11 fixtures (SA times)

Saturday, 31 January

  • Lions vs Vodacom Bulls – 2:30pm
  • Sharks vs Stormers – 5pm

Photo Credit: Rashied Isaacs

Stormers survive Leicester storm to stutter into Last 16

Adnaan MohamedNews, RugbyLeave a Comment on Stormers survive Leicester storm to stutter into Last 16
By Adnaan Mohamed

The DHL Stormers may have booked their place in the Investec Champions Cup play-offs with a 39–26 win overLeicester Tigers at DHL Stadium on Saturday, but this was less a polished symphony and more a garage band that occasionally forgot the chords.

Yes, the scoreboard says five tries to four. Yes, the Stormers marched into the last-16 in front of an enthusiastic Cape Town crowd of 25 000.

But context matters, and this particular Tiger arrived with more stripes missing than a clearance-sale jersey. A significantly weakened Leicester side, shorn of several frontline names, still managed to bare its teeth often enough to expose some worrying cracks in the Stormers’ armour.

The home side started like a team keen to make an early statement. Evan Roos thundered over for the opener after Jonny Roche’s midfield burst split the defence, before André-Hugo Venter peeled off a maul to make it 12–0. At that point, it looked like traffic control rather than a contest.

Then the Stormers remembered their habit of inviting chaos. Two quick Leicester tries, through George Pearson and Will Wand, flipped the scoreboard to 14–12 and highlighted how quickly defensive alignment can evaporate when concentration wobbles.

For long spells, the Stormers looked like a side playing fast-forward without checking the mirrors. Passes went to ground, exits were optional, and defensive spacing sometimes resembled a group photo taken mid-blink. Leicester didn’t need their full complement to punch holes; the Stormers generously supplied the gaps themselves.

The hosts regained the lead at the break thanks only to Leicester’s kindness and new skipper Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s boot, after Dylan Maart fumbled what should have been a walk-in try. It was 15–14 at halftime, advantage Stormers, but with the handbrake still half on.

Leicester struck first again after the restart with a maul try to reclaim the lead, underlining just how vulnerable the Stormers were when the basics slipped. The response, though, captured the essence of this side: chaotic, brilliant, risky and entertaining in equal measure. Leolin Zas finished off a slick passage of offloads for the Stormers’ third, dragging momentum back their way.

The game teetered again when Feinberg-Mngomezulu saw yellow, reducing the Stormers to 14 men, usually the cue for consolidation. Instead, JD Schickerling produced an outrageous dummy more suited to a centre than a lock, carving open the defence to score the bonus-point try and turn disbelief into delight.

Replacement scrumhalf Imad Khan added the final flourish at the death, his try stretching the scoreline into something that suggested control rather than the rollercoaster reality.

Replacement scrumhalf Imad Khan provided a spark. Photo: Rashied Isaacs

The Stormers’ attack still flickered with moments of brilliance, because that’s their DNA, but too often it came wrapped in loose decision-making. It’s champagne rugby, once more, served in a paper cup. When it worked, it sparkled. When it didn’t, it fizzed out spectacularly.

Defensively, the warning lights flashed brightest. For a side with ambitions of lifting Europe’s biggest prize, conceding soft metres and broken-field opportunities against a patched-up opponent is the rugby equivalent of leaving your front door open and hoping no one notices.

This was a match the Stormers should have controlled with one hand on the wheel and the other on the gearstick. Instead, they veered between dominance and disorder, brilliance and brain fade, sometimes within the same phase.

The truth is simple: knockout rugby does not grade on flair alone. The further you go, the less forgiving the margins become. European heavyweights won’t offer second chances, and they certainly won’t arrive missing half their starters.

If the Stormers genuinely want to go all the way in this competition, the basics must stop being optional extras. Tackle completion, exit accuracy, set-piece pressure and defensive spacing are not glamorous, but they are non-negotiable.

Winning ugly still counts. Winning sloppy comes with a warning label. The Stormers advanced to the last 16 of the Champions Cup and will now tackle French Giants Toulon at the Stade Mayol in the South of France in April.

Unless John Dobson’s charges tighten the bolts, sharpen the fundamentals and start respecting the small moments, Europe’s elite will make them pay with interest.

For the Stormers switch their attention to the Vodacom URC where they host the Sharks in Cape Town on Saturday.

STORMERS – Tries: Evan Roos, Andre-Hugo Venter, Leolin Zas, JD Schickerling, Imad Khan. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3), Khan (1). Penalties: Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Khan.
LEICESTER TIGERS – Tries: George Pearson, Will Wand, Jamie Blamire, Tom Manz. Conversions: Billy Searle (3).

Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 fixtures in full

Union Bordeaux Bègles vs Leicester Tigers

Glasgow Warriors vs Vodacom Bulls

RC Toulon vs DHL Stormers

Stade Toulousain vs Bristol Bears

Bath Rugby vs Saracens

Leinster Rugby vs Edinburgh Rugby

Northampton Saints vs Castres Olympique

Harlequins vs Sale Sharks

When Matric Meets the Stormers: Markus Muller’s Results Day Scrum

Adnaan MohamedFeatures, News, RugbyLeave a Comment on When Matric Meets the Stormers: Markus Muller’s Results Day Scrum
By Adnaan Mohamed

Most matriculants spent results day pacing the house, refreshing WhatsApp and bargaining with the rugby gods. Markus Muller? He was at Stormers training.

Yes, while his classmates waited nervously for envelopes and emojis, the Paarl Gymnasium captain and South Africa Under-18 centre had his boots on and his head down at his first Stormers session, leaving his mom to do the official results run.

“I asked my mom to collect my results,” Muller laughed in an entertaining interview conducted by veteran prop Neethling Fouche using a Red Bull energy drink can as a microphone.

“During training, when I had time off, I looked at my phone, and my mom sent me a picture.”

Welcome to modern rugby: professional contracts, professional gyms and matric results via WhatsApp.

Muller passed, and passed the vibe check too.

“I was ‘quite’ happy with having passed his matric exam,” he said.
“I was a bit nervous, but it was fun.”

The timing could not have been more poetic. On the same day his school chapter closed, a professional one cracked open. Like a winger ditching the safe kick for touch and backing himself, Muller chose the Stormers call over the school hall queue.

Markus Muller at the Stormers High Performance Centre in Bellville on Tuesday Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

He is one of a bumper crop of schoolboy stars already snapped up by the Cape franchise for 2026 and beyond. Joining Muller from Paarl Gym is loose forward Quintin Potgieter, while the wider class includes Alutha Wesi (Rondebosch Boys), centres Randall-John Davids, prop Matt van der Merwe and wing Jordan Steenkamp, hooker Altus Rabe and loose forward Gert Kemp (Paul Roos).

Wynberg Boys flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed, Boland Landbou scrumhalf Jayden Brits and Grey College lock AJ Meyer are the other prodigies on the Stormers books.

These names might sound that is comes from a matric class list. However, it’s more like a Craven Week highlight reel.

Stormers wing Leolin Zas has already had his first look at the teenage midfield star, having watched him shine at Craven Week. His first impression? Talent, nerves and plenty of upside.

“His first day was yesterday [Tuesday], and he looked a bit nervous,” said the 30-year-old back of the 18-year-old.
“I can’t wait to share some things with him.”

Muller, described as the best schoolboy centre in the country last year, is already talking like a team man rather than a headline hunter. If the Stormers need him to do the dirty work, he’s keen.

The young midfielder said he would happily answer the Stormers’ call to pack down in a scrum if the need arises, but he would like to be part of a maul as well.

In other words: give him a jersey and tell him where to push.

Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson says the flood of local talent is no accident, but a carefully built pathway that keeps Western Cape rugby feeding itself.

“Our contracting model is to look at local talent from the region first as a way to keep strengthening the pathway system,” Dobson said.

He believes the current intake shows the production line is alive, well and hitting peak form.

“The strong intake of local talent is extremely encouraging as the Stormers look to build significant depth by drawing on the best that the schools in the Western Cape have to offer,” he said.

“We have seen a few big success stories in recent years, with the likes of Damian Willemse, Salmaan Moerat, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, JD Schickerling and Suleiman Hartzenberg all coming through our system to become household names.

“We expect the same to happen with many of these players who will join our environment next year and we are not done here, with a few more significant names set to be added to this list in the near future.”

As for Muller, his matric certificate may still be at home, but his boots are already in the Stormers locker room. One chapter closed, another opened. No study leave required.

Stormers Furious Over Pitch After Smith’s Hospitalisation

Adnaan MohamedNews, RugbyLeave a Comment on Stormers Furious Over Pitch After Smith’s Hospitalisation
By Adnaan Mohamed

What should be a fortress has become a minefield.

Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson has launched a blistering broadside at the Cape Town Stadium pitch, blaming its deteriorating condition for an alarming injury toll that has now left lock Adré Smith hospitalised with a serious knee infection.

“We were promised a world-class pitch, and we certainly don’t have one,” Dobson said, his words cutting sharper than a loose stud.

Speaking from London, where the Stormers are preparing for a pivotal Champions Cup clash against Harlequins on Sunday, a visibly agitated Dobson revealed that Smith is undergoing intensive medical treatment after suffering a deep knee wound during last weekend’s gritty 13–8 win over the Bulls.

Smith, who came off the bench in the bruising North–South derby, split his knee open on what Dobson described as a surface more suited to a ploughed field than elite rugby.

“There is no way to beat around the bush, or be polite about it,” Dobson said. “He split his knee and got an infection, where the field wasn’t adequately covered with grass. The doctors put it directly down to the condition of the field.”

Smith has already spent two days in hospital and is expected to remain under close medical supervision for at least another two, as the Stormers count the cost of what Dobson labelled an “enormous frustration” for management.

The lock is not alone. Dobson confirmed multiple players have emerged bloodied and burned by the abrasive surface, with turf toe, severe abrasions and infections becoming increasingly common.

“We’ve seen turf toe injuries, abrasions, infections and even an increased risk of concussion on an unpadded surface,” Dobson said. “Player safety is the biggest concern.”

The pitch woes trace back to the World Supercross Championship staged at the stadium on December 13, an event that ripped up the surface and left it struggling to recover. Despite that, 53,000 supporters packed the stands just three weeks later to witness the Stormers edge the Bulls, even as the grass remained thin, brown and bare.

World Supercross Championships

Stormers Rugby CEO Johan le Roux previously described the surface as “absolutely sad”, while Cape Town Stadium Chief Operating Officer Louw Visagie has insisted the pitch is fit for purpose and meets World Rugby standards. It’s a view Dobson clearly does not share.

As if the surface scars were not enough, the Stormers’ casualty ward continues to swell. Veteran prop Ali Vermaak has ruptured his Achilles, while combative loose forward Ruan Ackermann faces months on the sidelines with a serious neck injury.

“Ali has ruptured his Achilles, which is a serious injury for any rugby player,” Dobson said. “It’s incredibly disappointing because of how popular and effective he’s been for us.

“Ruan has a bulging disc in his neck. Those injuries can be three months if you’re very lucky, but they can also be longer. I’d say it’s a good few months, which is a massive blow because he was exceptional, especially on defence.”

For a team built on physical dominance and relentless pressure, the Stormers now face a battle on two fronts, one against elite European opposition, and another against a home surface Dobson believes is breaking his players faster than any opponent ever could.

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)

Bok coaching talk adds spice to Stormers-Bulls North-South URC derby

Adnaan MohamedNewsLeave a Comment on Bok coaching talk adds spice to Stormers-Bulls North-South URC derby
Adnaan Mohamed

The Stormers–Bulls rivalry rarely needs a spark, but this week a murmur from the Springbok camp has crackled through the build-up, adding intrigue to Saturday’s Vodacom URC north-south derby at Cape Town Stadium.

Stormers defence coach Norman Laker admitted the Cape side was surprised by SA Rugby’s decision to allow members of the Springbok coaching and performance group (Felix Jones, Jerry Flannery, Duane Vermeulen and Andy Edwards) to assist the Bulls on a short-term basis.

For Laker, the timing felt as unusual as a line-out call changed mid-throw.

“It was quite interesting for me to see that, in such a big week, they’re bringing the Springbok coaches in to help the Bulls,” Laker said.

“Normally, the national coaches don’t really help teams when there are derbies involved. That’s always been the case.”

He stressed there was no accusation of foul play, only a break from tradition.

“In the past, guys like Felix Jones and Daan Human have assisted franchises when we were playing overseas opposition. Felix has helped us before, Daan has come in to help with scrummaging – but never ahead of a local derby,” he explained.

Pressed on whether the Bulls might gain an unfair edge, Laker kept his feet behind the advantage line.

“I can’t say if it’s a fair or unfair advantage. I just find it interesting. That’s all I can really say.”

Despite the chatter, Laker insisted the Stormers remain focused on their own execution rather than who is holding the clipboard across the halfway line.

“It doesn’t matter who coaches the team this week. A north-south derby is a game where players don’t need motivation. They’ll come out guns blazing, backs against the wall, wanting to win.”

Veteran scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, set for his first Stormers-Bulls derby after eight seasons in England and France, echoed the sentiment of controlled aggression.

“You hear from the boys how big this fixture is,” Reinach said. “It’s going to be physical, it’s going to be intense, and it’s about who fronts up on the day.”

Ackermann: ‘Perspective, not playbooks’

On the Highveld, Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann moved to clear the air, rejecting suggestions that Springbok assistant coaches were actively embedded with his squad during derby week.

“I never asked for that, and Rassie also said it wouldn’t be ideal,” Ackermann explained. “The thought that they would be in camp this week is ridiculous, and I challenge any press photographer to get a picture of a Bok coach at Loftus this week – it was never our intention.”

Ackermann said speculation had gained momentum without the full picture.

“The story was spread without the facts, and nobody bothered to speak to me. The truth is simple: I assessed everything and wanted a fresh pair of eyes to look at our defensive structures and bounce ideas off.”

He clarified that his request was about alignment rather than assistance in match planning.

“I said, you’ve always made your team of coaches available, and I’d love it if someone like [coach] Jerry Flanerry could come in and look at our defensive systems and share some ideas. I don’t expect the Bok coaches to put a plan together on how to win – that is my job as head coach. I have my own system; it was never my idea to secure plans.”

Any collaboration, Ackermann added, would be rotational and realistic.

“You can’t expect the Bok coaches, one of whom lives in Ireland, to be at Loftus every week. I’d be happy if they rotated, which is where the idea of involving Duane Vermeulen and Felix Jones came in.”

He drew a clear boundary between advice and authorship.

“I would never ask Rassie for game plans, merely a careful eye on what we are doing. This is about alignment and perspective, not about outsourcing our coaching.”

As the derby approaches, the debate has already kicked and chased. Soon, though, the noise will fade, and only the collisions will speak. This is proof once again that no amount of expertise off the field can replace muscle, mindset and moments when north meets south.

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

Adnaan MohamedFeatures, News, RugbyLeave a Comment on Dylan Maart’s Stormers surge has Springbok written all over it
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