Stompies vs Leinster URC Semi 2026

Yup. This is what happens when you're a one man team and that one man isn't there.

And fittingly Matthee kicks away the Stompies last chance and they lost 70m.

Night night everyone who's leaving. LOL again a cross kick. These guys have fuck all in the tank attacking wise. It's embarrassing.

Good comms between Willemse and Gelant there on defense.

Leinster win.

You can't win without points, Dobbo. Allow your team to try and score some, né boet?

Not sure if there’s one of the Stormers apart from Willemse heading for Bok duty.

sad but true

One has to ask if the Stormers actually have the players…no center talent, poor wings,the weakest pack of the SA franchises. Today Khan did some good things but his kicking really hurt. Mathew was out of his depth.

I hope the Bools fck them up, but I don't think so Leinster is a very good team...good effort WP...it was close...very close...got Jinxed by the master Jinxters.

One has to ask if the Stormers actually have the players

Yeah it is an average backline on paper - but then look what the Lions did with an equally average backline throughout the competition. I don't think the pack is that bad and they showed up today. But players or no players, they don't have an inkling of structured attacking play and that falls to the coaches.

We have talented centers in Joshua Boulle, Jonathan Roche, and Luke Burger. Young stars like Marcus Miller are coming through.

But even with Nel and Du Plessis, we should be capable of Running with ball in hand.

It doesn't help picking Galant, Hartzenburg, Simelane or Senatla. So the problem isn't only players. It's John Dobson.

No backline attack coaching. One Dimensional game plan. Zero vision in selection. He has other players on the books but refuses to pick them.

Jurie Matthee didn't have a good day, but he lacks exposure. He never gets proper game time against top opposition. Just off the bench here and there. Writing him off after one bad game is short-sighted. The talent is there.

Same with Imhad Khan. He made mistakes, but so did everyone. And the amount of kicking he did, is a hundred percent on Dodo.

The real issue is the team lacks progressive coaching. There's no real plan.

Evan Roos lacks the grunt to be a proper eighth man. When the team has a good day he flourishes, but when the chips are down he doesn't dig deep. He doesn't have that real fight.

He's overrated. He's not a Hanekom, Wiese, Louw, or Rudolph from the Bulls. The Stormers desperately need a real eighth man.

Ben-Jason Dixon had a bad day and was still ten times better than Roos. That tells you everything. Unluckily we lost Ruben van Heerden.

So we were stuck with Connor Evans that is not bad, but lacks exposure. Moeras is a lost cause, and will never get better.

The Stormers definitely do not have the weakest pack among the SA franchises. That's a stupid and biased call.

If you look at the evidence from other games, the Stormers pack actually did quite well throughout the competition.

One bad game, doesn't define players like Mchunu & Co...Next season we will have add-ons like Wilco Louw, so we will definitely be better.

The main cause is "The Dodo." He must go...he is choking the Stormers.

The problem is that Dobbo sees himself as everybody's pal and the papa of the Stormers.

He kept telling us how wonderful Gelant was while Gelant was singlehandedly costing the Stormers 21 points in a game. Apparently, we're the idiots.

And then he has these guys like Simi, Zas, Willemse, Khan and yet you never see them do anything as a cohesive unit on attack. Look at Galsow today. Man for man you cannot tell me they are better than the Stormers, yet they ran circles around the Bulls, only losing because the Bulls beat up their pack.

So, what's the solution? Keep the coach? What will change next year? Will he suddenly turn over a new leaf and tell the boys that he has realised the Stormers need to learn how to attack as a unit and actually run the ball. Of course not. It'll be more of the same.

Think about the fact that Cardiff turned them over in the last game before the knockouts. A literal team of nobodies.

What I really don't get is that the French sides, Leinster, Glasgow...they're showing our sides how to play and win. Yet we still seem to think that kicking = success.

Does anybody actually remember the Stormers running a single backline move that made any ground tonight. I don't. How the hell is it possible over 80 minutes that you don't get one opportunity to do something?

The Stormers definitely do not have the weakest pack among the SA franchises. That's a stupid and biased call.

Weaker than the Bools, weaker than the Sharks….about comparable to the Lions but I’d take the Lions with all their players healthy.

Now ‘biased’. I lived for much of my high school days in the shadow on Newlands. I played at Newlands in a curtain raiser for the Wallabies. I have always been a WP/Stormers fan. So how do you figure biased.

Your bias stems from calling the Stormers pack weaker than the Bulls and weaker than the Sharks. That's not accurate, and here's why.

The Stormers have beaten the Bulls twice this URC season. Once in Cape Town, once at Loftus. In both matches, their scrum held firm and their forward pack went toe-to-toe with the Bulls. You don't do that if you have the weaker pack.

As for the Sharks : Where are they now? The Stormers didn't beat the Sharks, but they made the semi-final. The Sharks didn't. So on what basis are you ranking their pack above the Stormers?

Now, you claim playing at Newlands and claimed to be a Stormers fan. But what does that actually have to do with your statement? Great for you that you played a curtain raiser at Newlands... honestly, who cares?

It's got nothing to do with whether the Stormers pack is weaker than the Bulls and Sharks. And It doesn't make your opinion any more valid because you apparently played there.

The way you're talking sounds like the opposite of a fan. You're making blanket statements that don't match the results on the field, just because of one bad game. So can you blame me for questioning your bias?

No. You can't.

There's your answer.

And by the way, Damian Willemse has captained the Stormers before. So not being a leader, is another untrue statement.

"It doesn't help picking Galant, Hartzenburg, Simelane or Senatla. So the problem isn't only players. It's John Dobson."

You seem to be thinking he can just pick the team he wants...WP Rugby is more interfering than SARugby...Dobo doesn't pick the team...he just plays the hand he's dealt.

"Weaker than the Bools, weaker than the Sharks….about comparable to the Lions but I’d take the Lions with all their players healthy."

BS

oose-head PropOx NcheSharks2938 HookerBongi MbonambiSharks3376 Tight-head PropWilco LouwBlue Bulls3014 LockEben EtzebethSharks33129 LockRG SnymanLeinster2938 Flank (C)Siya KolisiSharks3390 FlankPieter-Steph du ToitVerblitz32851 tryEighthmanJasper WieseD-Rocks2932 ScrumhalfGrant WilliamsSharks28161 tryFlyhalfManie LibbokWP27182 conversionsLeft WingKurt-Lee ArendseBlue Bulls2822 Inside CentreDamian de AllendeWild Knights3285 Outside CentreJesse KrielEagles (Canon)3077 Right WingCheslin KolbeSungoliath31382 triesFull BackAphelele FassiSharks269 ReserveGerhard SteenekampBlue Bulls279 ReserveVincent KochSharks3459 ReserveHandré PollardLeicester30781 conversion, 1 penaltyReserveMalcolm MarxSpears3074 ReserveKwagga SmithBlue Revs3150 ReserveElrigh LouwBlue Bulls2511 ReserveCobus ReinachMontpellier3437 ReserveLukhanyo AmSharks3041

……..

So how many of the Bok 23 against England last November were Stormers today. That’s right….zero…..is the penny beginning to drop.

And by the way, Damian Willemse has captained the Stormers before. So not being a leader, is another untrue statement.

By the way so have Moerat and Nel, perhaps you think they are candidates as well

Whoosh!!!!

I think Dobbo tried to tell us with the failed bash-bash tryline assault against 13 men Toulon that he considers running the ball 50/50 rugby.

But on top of that, I looked at some of the Stormers U/23 games. There's not a lot of talent coming through, they got hammered and didn't make the business end of the competition. Some of the names you throw up there, MP, like Boulle and Luke Burger didn't impress me in the slightest. There might be hard times ahead for the Cape.

Heres a question;

Where is Roos currently?

Same as at the close of last season or has he moved up?

Mchunu has moved up. So have Divvy and Adre. All three of those guys look like they are headed upwards and becoming more influential.

And Roos still, I shit you not, looks like he should play at 12. He's got a nose for the line and doesn't have the punch for 8.

I liked the comment yesterday that Roos would have run Khan down. Haha it's bloody true! He's probably the fastest forward in SA.

Staggeringly, we don't even see Dobbo use him in the tram lines...but we saw Adre there yesterday. Make sense of that one.

Fuck me, couple of things I hated about this game, the Irish, they are the football hooligans equivalent of rugby. Always instagating and shooting their mouths off.

Holly Davidson, just shows how poor DEI hire she is. Not even anything decent to look at. What's worse is her bloody officiating. So many bad calls on both sides. The stormers got the brunt of it. Here are the list shit from her.

1. The amount of time the Irish went flying off their feet, side entry etc at the ruck time is staggering.
2. One Stormer went to clear players pull back and goes off his feet, gets blow.
3. Only blow for hands on the ground. BUT a player is permitted to stabilise himself with his hands before going for the ball. This was a farce
4. The mail collapse penalty try and then yellow card. Isn't a penalty try punishment enough. Why sent a player off there after. No reason and no warning.
5. 5 infringements in the 5 meter by the Irish in less than 3 min and no yellow card or penalty try. Fuck. She is useless.
6. Zass, he had a chance to catch it, made solid contact, there wasn't a clear overlap as there was covering defense, at most, a yellow card
7. Jumping into the catcher, Willemse got constantly knocked in the air when he was at least head and shoulders above the players. None of the Irish player had a realistic chance of catching
8. Kackerman yellow then red. That was a straight red and the TMO had to.call her back. It happened straight in front of her.
9. Neck roll, clear as day light, the player pleaded with her and then she tells him it was not a crock roll and goes on to lecture him what a crock roll is. Sorry Holly. Neck roll!!!
10. Moerat yellow, not my favourite player, but he was clearly not in sight of the ball or knew where he was. He had no sight of the ball and the TMO tried to tell her

Fuck this game was frustrating from a spectacle point of view. The stormers had the ascendancy, brilliant defense and was getting physically on top of the game.

Dobbo needs to be fired and we need to bring Smith back to SA to come coach our players. He is the best of the club coaches we have.

Fuck the politics and diversity rugby agenda. Moerat is there because of his families political influences. Stormers need to cut themselves loose from this lot. The same lot that bankrupt WP rugby.

Quotas and coloureds. Man, these guys are so arrogant. Want to play flashy rugby and it detracts from Talented players.

At this point I don't know if Willemse is good or bad. He never broke the line or ignited from the back play. Zas was nowhere and was down to the cart horses of Mel and Du Plessis.

The stormers forwards were the real euros.

Khan was kak, how many times did his box kicks hardly made 5 meters and then there was the clear line in front of him and he had no pace. If it was Williams or Reinach they would have been under the post.

All the best province boys (white) are being poached by Ireland and other countries the moment they turn 18. Two brothers that played for SA schools under 18 are now in the Irish under 20 team.

Bring the real players back. Not the has been kwotalisi and heaven forbid, Eben or De Allende. What happend to Dricus Pretorius, real 13 and only 26. Now playing in Japan and no sign of him coming home.

Cape coloured rugby isn't proper rugby

Ah ok Moz, now you're falling back on Springbok selections Nov 2025 to argue that the Bulls and Sharks have stronger packs than the Stormers in the URC 2026. That's irrelevant.

Also you were talking about Forwards not backline players. But, taking your list Manie Libbok is orginally from the WP/Stormers. So it's one player, not zero :)

In the URC competition 2026, the Stormers pack took them to the semi-final. The Bulls pack took them there too. But the Sharks? They fell out completely. So on what actual URC performance are you ranking their pack above the Stormers?

You can't argue my points, so you reach for the Springboks from 2025. This is a Irrelevant, weak and desperate comparison.

So you said Willemse has never led. He has. So instead of admitting you were wrong, you're now making an invalid comparison to Ruan Nel as he is not a Springbok right now or in contention of being a Springbok again.

Moerat? Yes, he has captained before. But I agree with you, he shouldn't be captain. This doesn't change the fact that you were wrong about Willemse.

You made a false statement. I corrected you. Now you're scrambling to compare apples to oranges instead of just saying, "I got that one wrong."

Stick to the point. Willemse has led, and The Bulls & Sharks pack were not stronger than the Stormers in the URC 2026 season.

Is the penny beginning to drop?? :)

Holly Davidson, just shows how poor DEI hire she is. Not even anything decent to look at. What's worse is her bloody officiating. So many bad calls on both sides. The stormers got the brunt of it. Here are the list shit from her.

I'm not sure you should be so quick to scream DEI and question her competency when you seem to be mixing up event's in the Glasgow-Bulls game and the Leinster Stormer's game.

I don't think HD is a bad ref, but the occasion got to her yesterday...

Also you were talking about Forwards not backline players. But, taking your list Manie Libbok is orginally from the WP/Stormers. So it's one player, not zero :)

Yes but Libbok wasn’t playing yesterday was he? That’s the point I made:

‘So how many of the Bok 23 against England last November were Stormers today. That’s right….zero…..is the penny beginning to drop.’

Read it again and tell me if you finally grasp the point or need more help.

………..

Well Hanekom is 24, a forward and showing signs of strong on field leadership. Willemse is 28 and hasn’t been a leader yet. I’d say if you want to reinvent a McCaw/Kolisi long term model….a 3 World Cup model…. the answer is obvious.

To which on a completely different String you say this:

You made a false statement. I corrected you. Now you're scrambling to compare apples to oranges instead of just saying, "I got that one wrong."

Stick to the point.

I was actually thinking of his role with the Boks, not as captain, but as one of the leaders in the team. I see no evidence of that. I wasn’t aware that he had captained the Stormers once in early 2026, but that actually makes it worse. He actually doesn’t rate highly enough in this role even as an established Springbok to replace journeyman Ruhan Nel.

Nope he isn’t a credible Bok captain candidate….silly idea.

I don't think HD is a bad ref, but the occasion got to her yesterday...

I didn't see it that way. Thought both refs had good games in the semi's. Not perfect no... but they never are or can be. Thinks fans sometimes need to step back and cool off for a few days before committing on refs. During the Glasgow match when the penalties at the start of the match mostly went against the Bulls we had moaning about the ref on this forum and demands for consistency about hands on the floor when awarding penalties. Well the ref was consistent on that and could hardly be considered biased when he penalised Glasgow more than he did through the course of the match.

Let me separate this for you clearly, since you seem unable to do it yourself.

You claimed the Bulls and Sharks have stronger packs than the Stormers in the URC. You then tried to prove it using Springbok selections from November 2025.

That has nothing to do with URC 2026 performance. The two competitions are not the same. Springbok selections do not prove pack strength in the URC. This is evident in the Sharks pack. Made up mostly of Springboks, yet underperforming in the scrums and Forward departments.

So, you made a false statement. Now you're deflecting and shifting goalposts because you don't want to admit that your subsequent irrelevant comparison to Springbok selections of November 2025, "how many of the Bok 23 against England last November were Stormers today" is irrelevant and had no basis in URC 2026 pack performance.

I said Willemse has the goods to be a good captain. That's my opinion. You're entitled to yours. But don't come here with your pompous, pretentious tone and call my opinion "silly." Who made you the authority on who can and cannot be a captain??

You were wrong about Willemse never having led. You admitted you weren't aware he captained the Stormers. Instead of owning that, you doubled down and got snotty, like you usually do.

That has nothing to do with URC 2026 performance. The two competitions are not the same. Springbok selections do not prove pack strength in the URC. This is evident in the Sharks pack. Made up mostly of Springboks, yet underperforming in the scrums and Forward departments.

So, you made a false statement

I’m claiming the Sharks pack with Ox, Bongi, Koch and Etzebeth at it’s core has more potential strength than the Stormers pack…..you claim they don’t based on general results including backline play and ignoring absences.

Then based on an opinion with no facts, you claim ‘ I made a false statement….your typical MO. Nope I expressed an opinion based on known forward strengths.

I said Willemse has the goods to be a good captain. That's my opinion. You're entitled to yours.

Based on no facts, no examples, no discussion of a Bok backline vs a Bok forward captain…..just an opinion. Mine is also an opinion….your opinion is silly.

Willemse is the obvious choice in terms of experience(not captaining experience) versus age. He's been there for both WC wins and has a bit of aura.

But I'm in the camp of the captain having to be a forward...or a 10.

I put him and Nortje at roughly the same level of preference. Decent choices but don't tick all the boxes for me.

Marx ticks all the boxes but he's a bit older now and won't be a long term option. I've always wondered why he was never considered. Hearing him speak he talks like a leader. He also has leader aura. Perhaps he's a tad too reserved. If you watched a game and didn't know who the skipper was, if people told you Marx was, it wouldn't seem out of place.

But ja, I'm sticking with Cam after like 10-15 Caps. Cos he ticks every single box for me and could be a legacy captain.

We also need to remember that Elrigh seems liked in the captain role. His nickname is Kaptein after all.

Let’s gather a few facts:

By unit

1. Back row (6,7,8): ~45–50% of captains
2. Locks (4,5): ~20–25%
3. Front row (1,2,3): ~5–10%
4. Halfbacks (9,10): ~15–20%
5. Centres, wings, fullbacks: ~5–10%

Why flankers dominate

The ideal captain tends to be:

1. Near the referee all game
2. Involved in breakdowns and turnovers
3. Playing 80 minutes regularly
4. Able to see the game unfold

That's almost a perfect description of a flanker. Examples include:

1. Richie McCaw (7)
2. Siya Kolisi (6)
3. David Pocock (7)
4. Sam Warburton (7)
5. John Eales (5)

Positions that rarely captain

Wings are almost never captains because they can go 10–15 minutes without being involved in play.

Props are surprisingly rare because:

1. They are frequently substituted.
2. They spend much of the match recovering between set pieces.
3. They are often on the opposite side of the field from the referee.

Springbok example

Since readmission in 1992, South African captains have overwhelmingly come from:

1. Flanker (Kolisi, Burger, Teichmann, Pienaar as loose forward early on)
2. Lock (Matfield, Etzebeth)
3. Number 8 (Smith)

Very few have been backs.

If I had to pick the single most common captain position in international rugby since 1995, I'd rank them:

1. Openside flanker (7)
2. Lock (4/5)
3. Blindside flanker (6)
4. Number 8
5. Fly-half (10)
6. Scrum-half (9)

Those six positions probably account for around 90% of all Test captains in the professional era

……

Locks, loosies and half backs are the norm. Because they are close to the coal face and set the game plan. Having a fullback as captain of a Bok team in particular is a recipe for failure

I like hooker's,

I mean I like hooker's as captain. Sean Fitzpatrick was the classic captain. Always moaning, and looked like he was beaten up, refs felt sorry for him. John Smit wasn't a bad captain either. Got us a world cup and lions series. Pulled the players together and restored bok dominance after Piet quota de Villiers fuck up as a coach, but stayed too long and became player centric and toxic.

Problem with great leaders is that they also become the motivation for the team. The books wete in with a shout until John got thrown on his arse and then the boks start imploding. Same with Francois Pienaar, boks were not the same team.

McCaw is probably one of the greatest captains. Just look at how highly former refs speaks about him.

The worst bok captain is still kokosi and it is stolen valour. We know in the last WC Bongi was captain in the semi, Brannas was the on field captain in the final. He is just there as PR stunt. Can play a bit but not a full game and got a yellow in the final which should have been a red.

Definitely leadership issues at franchise level.

Locks make good captains too, but backs are not my choice. They are too far away from the game.

Opensiders or 8s are always on the ball. So I like Hannekom, but he needs a full season.

Beggers belief when they took him off for Carr.

Moz, did you "practice" your writing skills?

;)

Yeah, I'm defos in the skipper has to be a forward camp.

15 is too far removed from the action.

Well, your exact words were: "The weakest pack of the SA franchises."

You didn't say "in my opinion" or "potentially." You stated it as fact.

Now you're backtracking... shifting to Springbok selections and talking about "potential core strength."

You claim the Sharks pack with Ox, Bongi, Koch, and Etzebeth has a stronger core. But the 2026 URC season proved otherwise. They didn't outperform the other packs. They didn't even make the semi-finals.

So how can you sit there and say the Stormers pack is the weakest when the results show something completely different? If anyone is being silly here, it's you :)

Well other than results or another definitive statistic everything posted on here is an opinion. Nobody bothers to always say ‘in my opinion’ unless it’s very contentious. Some opinions are just better than others.

We also need to remember that Elrigh seems liked in the captain role. His nickname is Kaptein after all.

I always thought his nickname was "The Sheriff".

I want my captains nickname to be Master Chief Petty Officer John 117 (IYKYK) and he should be flanker of hooker.

"Beggers belief when they took him off for Carr."

Carr made like errors five or six errors on the trot when he came on as well. Talk about chalk and cheese.

Damn it would be great if the Bulls pull off a win in the final.

A dream come true for Akkers.

...but it's a moere of a ask.

Elrigh just isn't impressing me that much as a player at the moment. Could be that I'm just missing stuff, on the live viewing there's so much going on you only see the obvious and not the trenches. I just don't have time for second viewings these days because that's when you can actually sit back and watch individuals moving around the park to see what they get up to.

Bulls can do it, they have the physicality and they're a better directed unit than the Stormers. They should dominate scrumtime. Some warning lights though with the way Glasgow bamboozled them early on, Leinster has the ability to do the same so they'll need to be switched on from the first kickoff. I wouldn't bet on them scratching back another 21 point opening salvo. And that bench has me worried too. Marcel and Cam are tough players to replace, pulling them that early was close to suicide.

Agreed Pakie. I see Elrigh encouraging players, particularly at scrum time, but for me his contributions are ordinary at best. He’s a bit like Teichman perhaps a better leader than a player.

You're right though. Elrigh hasn't gotten back to his pre-injury form.

It took Venter a whole season to get back to where he was and I still think Cam isn't properly back either.

At this point I'm doubting Fassi is ever gonna come close to what he was. And that's a real shame because prior to his injury he was looking damn amazing.

I get so nervous for these guys. One wonders how terrifying it must be for their parents.

Imagine being Venter right now. You have a cracking season. Then you get a devastating injury and it happens right when the Bok coach was about to make you an integral part of the side. It doesn't matter what a tough guy you are, that type of disappointment must sting like a mofo.

Also, it just sucks cos I was mega looking forward to seeing Venter bounce England and the ABs around.

https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/rassie-big-plans-ruan/