We’re beyond excited that the Vodacom United Rugby Championship final is coming to Cape Town on Saturday. It should never have been legal to keep South Africans from a good game of rugga for that long – thanks COVID. Needless to say, the city is buzzing (and frothing to get to the DHL Stadium).
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Whether you’re a veteran of the game or just love the vibes, we thought we’d take a dive into the team we’re backing to win on Saturday: The DHL Stormers. So, for those who know nothing about the game, at least you’ll be able to recognise a player or 15.
Here are a few players to watch:
Damian Willemse
- Position: Inside Centre
- Number: 12
- Nice to know: One of the most gifted players in the country, Willemse is a 2019 World Cup winner who is able to play at flyhalf, centre and fullback. With a heavily strapped left arm, he was named Man of the Match for his performance against Ulster in the semi-finals.
On the field:
Off the field:
Deon Fourie
- Position: Openside Flank / Hooker
- Number: 6
- Nice to know: Fourie’s experience has shone through in a relatively young Stormers side, and his ability to play hooker and loose forward has been an added benefit, along with his poaching skills. His red-hot form this season has also earned him a first Springbok call-up. Fourie will become only the 10th player to play 100 matches for the DHL Stormers
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On the field:
Off the field:
Evan Roos
- Position: Eighthman
- Number: 8
- Nice to know: Roos has had a standout campaign for the Stormers, proving himself a destructive ball-carrier with more successful carries and defenders beaten than any other player in the URC over the 18 rounds of the regular season. He has won four official URC awards – Vodacom Fans’ Player of the Season, Next-Gen Player of the Season, as well as earning a place in the Dream Team – and has earned his first Springbok call-up ahead of the July series against Wales.
On the field:
Off the field:
Frans Malherbe
- Position: Tighthead Prop
- Number: 3
- Nice to know: The World Cup-winning Springbok tighthead was schooled at Paarl Boys’ High and represented Western Province through age-group level before making his Stormers debut at the age of 20 in 2011. Currently has the third-most caps for the team.
On the field:
Off the field:
Hacjivah Dayimani
- Position: Blindside Flank
- Number: 7
- Nice to know: Known for his try-scoring breaks and speed, the versatile Dayimani has shown a harder edge this season as he continues to develop a more rounded skill set, and is well adept at filling in as a backline replacement.
On the field:
Off the field:
Herschel Jantjies
- Position: Scrumhalf
- Number: 9
- Nice to know: Scoring three tries in his first two matches for the Springboks, with two on debut against the Wallabies, Jantjies has played a significant role in the Stormers’ run to the URC final in a strong halfback pairing with Manie Libbok.
On the field:
Off the field:
Jean-Jacques (JJ) Kotze
- Position: Hooker
- Number: 2
- Nice to know: He has ably filled the big shoes of Scarra Ntubeni after the Bok rake’s long-term injury. Kotze enjoyed a memorable Currie Cup debut as he scored four tries to guide WP to a commanding bonus-point win over the Blue Bulls in 2021.
On the field:
Off the field:
Manie Libbok
- Position: Flyhalf
- Number: 10
- Nice to know: Since bursting onto the scene with the Junior Springboks, Libbok’s career has had its ups and downs, but the former Sharks and Vodacom Bulls flyhalf will finish the URC season as the top points scorer, and his 87th-minute conversion clinched a dramatic victory for the Stormers over Ulster.
On the field:
Off the field:
Marvin Orie
- Position: Lock
- Number: 5
- Nice to know: An energetic and tireless worker, the six Test-capped Orie has been a mainstay in the Stormers pack this season and looks set to star for his country later this year.
On the field:
Off the field:
Ruhan Nel
- Position: Outside Centre
- Number: 13
- Nice to know: Nel, who has won two World Sevens Series titles with the Blitzboks, and a Currie Cup at Western Province, has started an impressive 19 of the Stormers’ 20 matches leading up to the URC final.
On the field:
Off the field:
Salmaan Moerat
- Position: Lock
- Number: 4
- Nice to know: A former SA Schools and Junior Bok skipper, Moerat suffered a career-threatening neck injury in April 2021, before another setback in January. He has been tipped for a bright future in international rugby after being selected in a 48-man Springbok squad for the 2022 Test season.
On the field:
Off the field:
Seabelo Senatla
- Position: Right Wing
- Number: 14
- Nice to know: Boasting a personal best of 10.6 seconds over 100m, Senatla scored a whirlwind 230 tries on the World Rugby Sevens scene and is fifth on the all-time try-scorers list. He scored nine tries over the course of the regular URC season.
On the field:
Off the field:
Steven Kitshoff
- Position: Loosehead Prop
- Number: 1
- Nice to know: The 56-cap Bok juggernaut is an overwhelming force at the set piece in a front row that at times has featured the all-Springbok combination of hooker Scarra Ntubeni and tighthead Frans Malherbe. The 2019 World Cup winner also serves as the Stormers’ co-captain, although has mostly fulfilled the role solo after injury to Salmaan Moerat.
On the field:
Off the field:
Warrick Gelant
- Position: Fullback
- Number: 15
- Nice to know: Gelant, who is set to make a big-money move to French side Racing 92, was crowned the URC’s first Player of the Month for October. His sensational form this season has earned him a Springbok recall for the first time since winning the 2019 World cup in Japan.
On the field:
Off the field:
With news that Leolin Zas is out with an ankle injury, we reckon it’s a toss-up between Angelo Davids and Sergeal Petersen to complete the starting 15:
Sergeal Petersen
- Position: Left wing
- Nice to know: He has shown his temperament for the big occasion, scoring a try in the 2016 Currie Cup showpiece for the victorious Free State Cheetahs.
On the field:
Off the field:
The best backup (the subs):
- Andre-Hugo Venter
- Brok Harris
- Neethling Fouche
- Andre Smith
- Ernst van Rhyn
- Nama Xaba
- Golden Masimla
- Sacha Mngomezulu
- Angelo Davids
- Leolin Zas (injured)
We’re backing our boytjies all the way! See you Saturday. The game kicks off at 7.30pm.
WIN:
Picture: cole.cruickshank / deon_fourie26 / Instagram
