After their 52-40 triumph in their United Rugby Championship clash against the Scarlets at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, here’s how the Stormers players performed on Saturday.
Stormers player ratings v Scarlets
15 Warrick Gelant: The ex-Springboks full-back made his return to the run-on side and caught the eye with some good attacking moments. Delivered some deft offloads but also made some crucial defensive errors. However, his experience proved crucial in the game’s latter stages when the Stormers were trying to close out the game. 6
14 Seabelo Senatla: Continued with his outstanding attacking form as he kept the Scarlets‘ defenders on their toes and his efforts were rewarded when he crossed for a deserved try. Was forced off the field due to injury early in the second half with Yaqeen Ahmed coming on to replace him. 7
13 Wandisile Simelane: Another one who mixed the good with the bad as he looked dangerous with ball in hand and was influential when the Stormers raced into a dominant lead at half-time. However, he was caught out on defence when the Scarlets launched a stunning fightback after half-time. 6
12 Markus Muller: The young midfielder was making his first start for the Stormers and he can be happy with his efforts as he put in a solid performance on attack and defence. Despite several chaotic moments in the Stormers backline, the 19-year-old kept his composure and finished with a match-high three turnovers won. 7
11 Leolin Zas: Started the match brightly and got through plenty of attacking work during the opening half but was horribly exposed on defence as the match progressed. Was caught out of position on defence in the build-up to a couple of tries. 5
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: Like most of his team-mates, the Springboks playmaker delivered a mixed performance. He gave his side good momentum with his usual brilliance on attack but also made several unforced errors and some of those proved costly. 7
9 Haashim Pead: The highly rated young scrum-half delivered a slick service to his outside backs, especially during the first half when the Stormers were rampant on attack and proved a genuine threat with ball in hand. His efforts were rewarded when he scored his first Stormers try after combining brilliantly with Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the build-up. 8
The forwards
8 Hacjivah Dayimani: The 29-year-old was only on the field for 33 minutes before leaving the field with an injury but he made his presence felt during that time as he played his part in the build-up to some tries. 7
7 Evan Roos: Another one who, despite being solid on attack – where he gained 50 metres – and defence – where he made eight tackles – made several unforced errors. 6
6 Paul de Villiers (c): The Stormers skipper was in the thick of the action for the full 80 minutes and deserves plenty of credit as he delivered an outstanding all-round performance. The young Springboks tearaway led from the front in trying circumstances but was a willing ball carrier, gaining 30 metres, while also shining on defence where he made 11 hits and won one turnover. 8
5 Connor Evans: He got through plenty of work on either side of the ball as he finished with 39 metres gained and 11 tackles. 7
4 Riley Norton: The young lock formed a solid second-row combination with Evans and although he was not prominent with ball in hand, he led the way on defence where he made a match-high 16 tackles. 6
3 Zachary Porthen: The Springboks front-row made a rare start for the Stormers and gave a good account of himself as he stood up well in the scrums while also impressing with ball in hand where his efforts were rewarded with a well-taken try. 7
2 André-Hugo Venter: Was on the field for 37 minutes before limping off due to injury but was solid in the execution of his core duties during his time on the field. Was particularly effective at the breakdowns where he won a couple of turnovers. 7
1 Ntuthuko Mchunu: The Springboks prop was only on the field for 46 minutes but he put in an impressive shift as he was solid in the scrums and proved a handful on attack, and, like his front-row partner Porthen, he also crossed for one of the Stormers’ eight tries. 8
Replacements: The men from the Cape were forced into some injury-enforced substitutions which proved very disruptive in what turned to be a crazy encounter in which defence seemed optional at times. Veteran Springboks utility back was on the field for roughly 10 minutes as he came on to replace Dayimani late in the opening half, scored a try early in the second period before limping off with a knee injury shortly afterwards. Of the other replacements, Ahmed was the best of the lot as he scored two crucial tries when the match was in the balance during its dying moments. 7
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