Stormers player ratings: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu ‘finds form’ and ‘gross’ Evan Roos exaggeration in Ulster stalemate
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu in action for the Stormers.
Following the Stormers’ 38-all draw with Ulster in Belfast, here’s how we rated John Dobson’s men in the United Rugby Championship clash.
Stormers player ratings
15 Warrick Gelant: Back in the starting XV after missing the victory over Edinburgh and while the marmite full-back endured a slow start, he fired the Stormers‘ attack into life for their opening try. Gelant has been guilty of making high-profile errors this season and giving away needless turnovers, but there was less of that today, although it was still evident. His five missed tackles is an eye sore. 4
14 Wandisile Simelane: Missed three of his tackles and conceded a pair of turnovers in what was an indifferent performance. He certainly can trouble a defence when he does get ball in hand but didn’t have many opportunities to do so. 5
13 Dan du Plessis: Shifted to the 13 jumper in the absence of Ruhan Nel and had a rather quiet evening overall. Clean and tidy with little fuss. 6
12 Damian Willemse: Back to what many believe to be his best position in the Stormers’ backline and Willemse not only lead the side after Deon Fourie’s exit but also led the defensive charge too, topping the tackle count in the match with 18 hits. He combined well with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu in attack and was powerful when going into contact. 7
11 Leolin Zas: Fortunate that Nathan Doak tackled him high when he needed to be going into contact lower himself in his attempt to score late on in the game. The officials saved his blushes after a reasonable shift from Zas, who made 62 metres and beat three defenders. 6
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu finds form
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: He endured a slump in the second half, missing a drop goal and dropping the ball cold right after. Overall, though, it was an excellent outing from the Springboks playmaker, who scored a brace and added 11 points from the tee. Feinberg-Mngomezulu is finding his form at a pivotal point in the Stormers’ season. 8
9 Imad Khan: Scored an important try at an important time while providing slick, accurate service with his combination with Feinberg-Mngomezulu looking more and more promising with every passing game. His kicking game was a bit hit and miss but still a strong showing. 7
8 Evan Roos: Stephen Ferris slammed the Springboks’ first-half performance, stating that he had been ‘so, so bad’ and his discipline was ‘horrendous’. He went as far as to say that the Stormers would have been in front had he not been playing. Frankly, that was a gross exaggeration and far from the Ulster legend’s first in his punditry career. Roos outworked the rest to grab his try off Ntuthuko Mchunu’s break; he carried strongly and made his tackles. His two penalties conceded were proper brain fades; the one in the 39th minute was epically daft and cost the Stormers possession on the Ulster line. But still, not nearly as bad as Ferris implied. 6
7 Ben-Jason Dixon: Made good use of his excellent chop tackle technique today. A solid lineout option and relentless work-rate around the pitch. Really should have stayed on until the end. 7
6 Deon Fourie (c): Gutting to see the oldest Springbok debutant forced from the pitch after a horrendous clear-out from Iain Henderson. He sustained the injury while doing what he does best, pilfering over the ball at the breakdown and winning a penalty. The warrior he is, he tried to continue but couldn’t. Having come back recently from two long-term lay-offs, this could be the end of his career, and what a sad way it would be for it to conclude. Lasted 11 minutes, that turnover looked like it would kickstart another strong shift. 5
The rampaging Springbok
5 Ruben van Heerden: Ridiculously busy with the ball in hand making 24 carries into the Ulster defence and racked up a handy 49 metres in doing so. He called the lineout well too, and put the Ulster set-piece under pressure. 8
4 Adré Smith: A busy performance, particularly around the breakdown in a solid 60-minute outing. Nothing standout, nothing poor either. 6
3 Sazi Sandi: All the scrum feeds were on Ulster’s feed, making it difficult for the Stormers’ pack to impose themselves. Sandi was reasonably quiet otherwise. 5
2 André-Hugo Venter: Forced to go the distance, though that was always likely to be the case. Found a teammate with all 12 of his lineout darts, busy in defence and simply did his job and did it well. 7
1 Ntuthuko Mchunu: The three-Test cap Springboks prop has enjoyed a stunning run of form, and he continued in that vein today with two rampaging runs for the Stormers’ opening two tries. He took two men with him, running like an oversized centre, leaving Roos with the easiest of finishes at the ensuing ruck while he showed that he has the beauty to go with the ballast as his soft hands parted the white wall for Feinberg-Mngomezulu to cruise through. The scrum calls were wild cards. 8
Replacements: As per usual, Paul de Villiers had an impactful shift after his early introduction, with a big emphasis on the breakdown. Stefan Ungerer provided some good direction while Jurie Matthee’s shift was cut short when he was sin-binned. The bench both allowed Ulster to get into a position to win the game but then snatched a draw. 5
