Stormers player ratings: Underrated ‘powerhouse’ sets the physical tone but Springboks star puts them ‘under pressure’
Following a 36-24 defeat to the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship clash at Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the Stormers.
15 Damian Willemse: Moved back to 15 from centre, perhaps to give him more space to use his majestic footwork, but it did not quite work out that way. He was also charged down behind his own tryline, albeit it came following a messy passage of play. 5
14 Dylan Maart: The wing has all the physical traits but it’s Maart’s work ethic and fundamentals which are particularly impressive. Those were on show in the first half but the Sharks dominated the aerial battle after the break and he struggled to get involved. 5
13 Wandisile Simelane: Another quiet day for the centre, who wasn’t able to get into the game. Once he struggled to break free but that was about it. 5
Physical presence
12 Jonathan Roche: Another reason for Willemse’s change of position could have also been influenced by the physicality that Roche offers. They lost that battle comprehensively last weekend but the powerhouse centre helped change that with some excellent work. 7
11 Leolin Zas: It was a quiet day for the Stormers wings generally but, unlike Maart, Zas couldn’t find a way to influence the match. 5
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (c): Has been overplaying his hand over recent weeks but he was far more effective in Durban. His goal-kicking, a significant weakness during that period, was absolutely superb, nailing a few from long-range. Those magic moments will come but going back to basics has given Feinberg-Mngomezulu a foundation to build from. 7
9 Cobus Reinach: It started superbly for the Springboks scrum-half as he took a quick tap and scored a try after 22 seconds but he could not get the timing right with his box-kicking and it put his side under pressure. 5
8 Evan Roos: A couple of big carries aside, he failed to really impose himself. He’s a big unit who needs to use that frame far better in the close exchanges, otherwise he will always remain on the fringes of Springboks selection. Also conceded three penalties. 5
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Fantastic flankers
7 Ben-Jason Dixon: While Roos could not quite make those physical impacts, Dixon did and showed why he is rated by the national team coaches. A couple of huge hits, one which earned a key late penalty in the first half, were the highlights of an excellent shift. 7
6 Paul de Villiers: An early yellow card blotted De Villiers’ copybook, but he showed his class at the breakdown and scored an incredible try, which saw him break through the middle before rounding the final defender and scoring. 7
5 Ruben van Heerden: A mixed day for the lock who was yellow carded and was part of a lineout which had its issues once again, but he also took a couple of fabulous restarts and contested well on Sharks ball. 6
4 Adré Smith: Hooked before the half-time, probably due to the Stormers’ lineout woes. However, it was a pretty inauspicious display generally, which included another needless penalty. 5
3 Neethling Fouché: Up against Ox Nche, the Stormers tighthead did a fine job and had his side moving forward, but it wasn’t always rewarded by the referee. Also got an assist for De Villiers’ try with a deft pass. 7
2 André-Hugo Venter: Those aforementioned lineout problems came back to haunt the visitors in the first half. Although they improved, Venter was taken off relatively early in the second period. 5
1 Oli Kebble: Like with Fouché, he got the better of his individual duel and forced a couple of penalties out of Sharks tighthead Hanro Jacobs before going off. 6
Replacements: It felt like the Stormers front-row, who were marching forwards regularly, got the rough end of the stick from the referee at the scrum. It felt like the Sharks were moving around while under pressure, but the man in the middle didn’t see it that way. The props were the best of the bench, though, with the rest, with the exception of JD Schickerling, who shored up the lineout, failing to make an impression. There was also a shocker of an error from Warrick Gelant, which led to the match-winning try from Jaco Williams. 5
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