Stormers player ratings: Playmaking stars ‘don’t show Springboks class’ as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s ‘faltering form’ continues
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cobus Reinach in action for the Stormers.
Following a shock 33-24 defeat to Connacht in the United Rugby Championship clash at DHL Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the Stormers.
15 Warrick Gelant: Has a mistake in him and, after what had been, a solid performance from the full-back, he had a shocking 10 minutes. There was a poor pass which ended a promising attack in the 22 and concluded with a mistake for Connacht’s fourth score. 3
14 Damian Willemse: Still taking time to adapt to his new position and how he can impact the games. Having generally played 10, 12 and 15, Willemse is perhaps kicking too much and not backing himself. It perhaps isn’t helping the team either with the Cape Town outfit lacking a playmaker in other positions. 4
13 Ruhan Nel (c): The Stormers don’t lack for physicality in midfield, but they could perhaps do with a bit more dexterity, especially when the opposition, such as Connacht, front up. Nel and co. got very little traction from trucking it up at centre. 5
12 Dan du Plessis: Similar to Nel, where Du Plessis was abrasive on both sides of the ball, which is a necessity, but ultimately they need a bit more from their midfield duo. 5
11 Leolin Zas: As a result of the hosts’ struggles to get quick ball, Zas struggled to impact the game. He could perhaps try and come looking for work a bit more, but, in truth, the outside backs as a whole failed to influence the game. 5
Poor form continues
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: Part of that issue was the half-backs, who once again didn’t show their Springboks class. Massive credit must go to Connacht, who targeted the breakdown to great success, but Feinberg-Mngomezulu‘s faltering form continued, despite his goal-kicking improvement and nicely taken try. 6
9 Cobus Reinach: As mentioned, the Irish province were excellent at disrupting the South Africans in pretty much all areas and that impacted Reinach. Usually so slick at the base, it was a struggle for him in the first half. Had better success in the third quarter by upping the tempo, but mistakes tended to halt momentum. 6
8 Evan Roos: Finished his try wonderfully as his sheer power and athleticism took him away from the cover defence. Continued to carry hard after that and created some front-foot ball with the number eight, the best of the back-row. 7
7 Ben-Jason Dixon: One carry bristled with intent but that was about it. Usual solidity in the nuts and bolts but he didn’t show his Test quality. 6
6 Deon Fourie: Received a yellow card for getting it wrong in the tackle and also couldn’t quite influence the breakdown as usual, and was eventually hooked early in the second period. Not his finest day. 4
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Solid set-piece
5 JD Schickerling: The main target in a lineout which went smoothly and allowed them to attack via the maul. The drive was a key source of success for the Stormers, even if it didn’t result directly in a try. 6
4 Adré Smith: A solid performance without the ill-discipline which can hamper his game, so a net positive, but he was up against a resilient Connacht forward eight. 6
3 Zachary Porthen: One of Stormers’ better players on Saturday. From scrummaging to his work in the loose, Porthen was excellent and probably didn’t get the reward he deserved in the set-piece. 7
2 Scarra Ntubeni: Played 34 minutes and then received a rapturous ovation after heading off in what will likely be his final professional match. A great servant for the team and that was shown with his solid display here. 6
1 Ntuthuko Mchunu: Magnificent from the prop, who was so far above everyone else on his team. Scrummaged superbly and was absolutely everywhere in the loose, making big carry after big carry, while also doing good work in defence. 8
Replacements: Andre-Hugo Venter was good at hooker, but they didn’t get much out of their bench. Ruben van Heerden’s error off a restart was costly and allowed Connacht back into the game, and the other replacements were not much better. 4