Stormers player ratings: ‘Springboks reject’ and young duo shine in stunning comeback win over Munster

After their 27-21 comeback triumph in their United Rugby Championship clash against Munster at Thomond Park, here’s how the Stormers players performed on Saturday.

Stormers player ratings v Munster

15 Warrick Gelant: The former Springboks full-back had some nervy moments during the game’s early stages but got better as the match progressed and was solid at the back for the rest of the match. 6

14 Dylan Maart: He made his Stormers debut in this encounter and can be happy with his performance as he made some good attacking runs and was rewarded with a well-taken try for his efforts. 7

13 Wandisile Simelane: He looked dangerous on attack, keeping the home side’s defenders on their toes with some fine attacking runs and was solid in the execution of his defensive duties. 7

12 Ruhan Nel: The experienced centre was the visitors’ hero as he showed the Munster cover defence a clean pair of heels after intercepting a Jack Crowley pass and racing away to score the match-winning try. Apart from that, Nel also did well on defence and showed some deft touches on attack during the early stages of the game. 7

11 Leolin Zas: The Stormers speedster was quiet during the early stages but got better as the match progressed and asked some questions of Munster’s defence, especially when the visitors were chasing the game in the second half. 6

10 Jurie Mathee: The young playmaker continued with his impressive form as he delivered another superb all-round performance. Mathee was solid off the tee as he finished with a 12-point haul courtesy of three conversions and a couple of penalties, including a monster 50-metre effort early on. His kicking out of hand was also excellent, with one of those perfectly executed to Maart, who gathered inside Munster’s 22 before racing away to score his try. 8

9 Stefan Ungerer: The 32-year-old was caught in possession a few times and his decision-making also let him down, especially during the opening half when Munster held the upper hand. Replaced by Dewald Duvenhage in the 59th minute. 5

Stormers follow the Springboks’ example by scrumming their way to victory over Munster

The forwards

8 Evan Roos: The Springboks reject was his usual busy self with the ball in hand, where he took the fight to the home side with some powerful runs and eventually made 10 carries with only Munster counterpart Gavin Coombes making more in this clash. Roos also put his body on the line on defence. 8

7 Marcel Theunissen: He did what was expected of him in the execution of his core duties, with his defensive work the standout feature. He was less visible on attack and was eventually replaced by Ruan Ackermann early in the second half. 5

6 Paul de Villiers: The former SA U20 skipper put in a big defensive shift and finished with a match-high 20 tackles. He also did well as a ball carrier and competed ferociously at the breakdowns, where he did well to slow down his opponents’ ball. Rewarded with the official man-of-the-match award after the game. 8

5 Connor Evans: Yellow carded after just three minutes for a professional foul, and that proved costly as Munster went over for a try shortly afterwards. Came back on but did apart from winning some lineout balls, he made little impact and was replaced by JD Schickerling early in the second half. 5

4 Salmaan Moerat (c): The Stormers captain did what was expected of him in the tight exchanges and also put his body on the line in defence before being replaced by Adre Smith in the 46th minute. 6

3 Neethling Fouche: The one-Test Springboks front-row came to the fore with a superb scrummaging display as the visitors had an edge in that department, and he also did well on defence, especially at close quarters. Replaced in the 45th minute by Sazi Sandi. 7

2 André-Hugo Venter: Emptied the tank during a 45-minute stint and did his bit as a ball carrier and on defence, but was taken off early in the second half with JJ Kotze coming on to replace him. 5

1 Vernon Matongo: The young loosehead prop had some good moments in the scrums and also made his mark with some big defensive hits, but was replaced by the experienced Oli Kebble after 45 minutes. 6

Replacements: The Stormers’ substitutes brought plenty of energy to the cause, especially amongst the forwards, where the likes of Ackermann, Smith, Schickerling and Kebble delivered huge contributions. The introduction of the aforementioned players came at the right time in the second half and helped the visitors to launch a superb fight back. Meanwhile, veteran scrum-half Duvenhage’s experience also proved invaluable during that time, and he too shone for the men from the Cape. 8

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