Stormers player ratings: ‘Springboks yo-yo’ catches the eye while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu ‘not as influential as usual’
Stormers number eight Evan Roos and fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (inset).
After their 33-14 victory in their United Rugby Championship clash against Edinburgh at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, here’s how the Stormers players performed on Saturday.
Stormers player ratings v Edinburgh
15 Warrick Gelant: A mixed performance from the experienced full-back as he had some shaky moments at the back while he also suffered the embarrassment of being outpaced by Edinburgh centre James Lang, who ran the full length of the field before crossing for a try. However, there were also some brilliant moments on attack from Gelant as he finished with two excellent assists for tries from Ntuthuko Mchunu and Evan Roos. 6
14 Damian Willemse: Much was said about the decision to play the double Rugby World Cup winner on the wing and although he had some good attacking moments and did well in the aerial duels, the jury is still out him featuring out wide. 6
13 Ruhan Nel (c): Despite having few attacking opportunities, the Stormers captain impressed when he did receive the ball and one such moment resulted in him offloading to Leolin Zas, who crossed for a try. 7
12 Dan du Plessis: Delivered a solid performance as he impressed on defence and competed gallantly at the breakdowns but less visible with ball in hand. Replaced by Jurie Matthee in the 65th minute. 6
11 Leolin Zas: Although he had few attacking opportunities, he did what was expected of him when the ball came his way and was rewarded with a well-taken try early in the second half. 6
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: The Springboks star was not as influential as usual as he was marked tightly by Edinburgh’s defence. Also missed several shots at goal and played the last 15 minutes at inside centre with Matthee slotting in at fly-half. 6
9 Stefan Ungerer: This was a match which he would want to forget in a hurry as his service to his outside backs was slow and one of his passes was intercepted by Lang, who crossed for a try. Ungerer’s kicking out of the hand was also average and he was eventually replaced by Dewaldt Duvenage after 57 minutes. 4
The forwards
8 Evan Roos: The 26-year-old has become like the yo-yo of the Springboks squad in recent years but he sent Boks boss Rassie Erasmus a reminder of what he’s capable of with a fine attacking performance. Roos was his usual, busy self on attack and crossed for two five-pointers while he also finished with eight tackles completed. 9
7 Ben-Jason Dixon: The Springboks flanker won some balls in the lineouts but did not make much of an impact in other facets of play. Was replaced by Hacjivah Dayimani after 50 minutes. 5
6 Paul de Villiers: The young tearaway emptied the tank in all departments as he got through plenty of work at the breakdowns and with ball in hand while he also did his bit on defence. Left the field in the 68th minute with Deon Fourie replacing him. 8
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
5 JD Schickerling: Another strong all-round performance from the experienced lock, who did well in the lineouts, impressed on defence with nine tackles made and also did well with ball in hand especially at close quarters. 7
4 Adré Smith: He put in a solid shift at the coalface of the Stormers’ forward effort as he did his bit as a ball carrier and in the lineout while also cleaning out the rucks. 6
3 Sazi Sandi: It was a momentous occasion for the 27-year-old as he made his 50th appearance for the Stormers and he stood up well in the scrums before Neethling Fouche replaced him in the 50th minute. 6
2 André-Hugo Venter: Although his throw-ins at the lineouts were off target early on, he got better in that department as the match progressed. Venter also did his bit with ball in hand and made 11 carries before being replaced by JJ Kotze after 57 minutes. 7
1 Ntuthuko Mchunu: Was yellow carded early on for a cynical knockdown inside his 22 but put that indiscretion behind him and caught the eye with a solid scrummaging display. However, he made his biggest impact as a ball carrier when he set off on a barnstorming run in the 63rd minute en route to a brilliant try. Was replaced by Oli Kebble shortly afterwards. 8
Replacements: The home side’s replacements brought plenty of energy to proceedings especially in the final quarter when Stormers boss John Dobson rang the changes. Amongst the backs, Matthee was the standout performer as created some try-scoring opportunities for his team-mates when he slotted in at fly-half. Meanwhile, the likes of Fourie and Fouche led the onslaught up front and the match came alive when they entered the fray in the second half. 8
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.