DHL Stormers player ratings vs Cardiff | 2025/26 URC quarterfinals

John Dobson’s DHL Stormers saved their coaches blushes with a 44 – 21 victory over Cardiff at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town.

Catching some heat for claiming that Cardiff would be the easiest of opponents in the quarterfinal just a fortnight removed from the same opponents. Dobson’s side did the business to book their place in the semifinals against either Leinster or the Lions.

Conceding the first try to Cardiff fullback Cameron Winnet who ran a perfect support line of his winger Jacob Beetham who had picked off an Imad Khan offload.

Fixture

United Rugby Championship

Stormers

44 - 21

Full-time

Cardiff Rugby

All Stats and Data

The Cape Town crowd fell silent.
Their disappointment only last a couple of minutes when the Stormers where handed a try to hooker Andre-Hugo Venter which was clearly significantly short of the try line.

This moment sparked the home side into action with Ntuthuko Mchunu and Leolin Zas dotted down for two superb tries to hand the home side a 21 – 7 half-time lead.

To their credit the visitors struck first once again in the second through backrow Taine Basham to come back into the contest.

From here, the two sides would trade blows throughout the half but in the end it would be the season one champions who kept their campaign alive.

Here is how the Stormers players rated.

1. Ntuthuko Mchunu – 8
Dominated from the get go at scrum time to such an extent that the commentators were calling for Cardiff to make a tighthead switch inside twenty minutes. Netting his 6th try of the season with another powerful close range surge was one of the best set play moves you’ll see anywhere.

2. Andre-Hugo Venter – 7.5
Awarded a try that appeared to be significantly short but nevertheless it was the impetus his side needed to get back in the contest. Continuing his hot streak, the hooker topped the carry charts for his pack with 11, delivered a strong line-out return and was rock solid across the board.

3. Neethling Fouche – 7
Visibly frustrated by Cardiff’s routine attempts to pull out of the engagement at scrum time, Fouche made them pay when the engagements were squared up. His prowess left referee Eoghan Cross with no choice but to penalise Cardiff. More importantly, he laid the perfect platform for his explosive backline to strike from.

4. Adre Smith – 6.5
Continuing to make the Stormers enforcer role his own. The powerhouse lock would’ve calmed some nerves around the Cape given the imminent depletion of their lock stocks for next season. Whilst his stats will not jump off the page, Smith’s physicality at the breakdown against a Cardiff pack stacked with poachers cannot be underestimated.

5. Ruben van Heerden – 6
On the topic of departing locks, van Heerden’s move to Montpellier has the potential to be one of the best in the Top 14 for next season. Plucking 6 lineouts and battering Cardiff poachers at the breakdown. van Heerden half-time departure saw a clear drop off in the Stormers’ effectiveness at ruck time.

6. Paul de Villiers -8
Henrich Brussouw 2.0 was at it again with 2 big time turnovers. In the modern game, de Villers is a throwback with his ability to latch onto a breakdown at a rate unmatched by any other player certainly in the URC. Away from his breakdown hunting grounds, the backrow was busy with his carrying and was once again his side’s top tackler. His efforts were rewarded with a picture perfect maul try that gave the Stormers some much needed breathing room.

7. Ben-Jason Dixon – 7
Forming a double headed monster at line-out time with Ruben van Heerden at line-out time. The Bok backrow did plenty of the hard yards against a game Cardiff side. Marshalling a powerful maul that milked crucial penalties and ultimately led to Cardiff’s second yellow card and crucially a momentum shifting try.

8. Evan Roos – 6
The URC’s top try scorer was unable to enjoy the usual open prairie he is afforded when his side are getting on top at set piece time. Instead, it was a performance in which he had to roll up his sleeves and carry into heavy traffic. To his credit, Roos was able to adjust and slot into a distribution roll topping the offload charts for his side. Utilising the target on his back, Roos opened up opportunities for those around him.

9. Imad Khan – 8
Taking his chance with both hands, the highly touted halfback played a blinder. Nailing his kicks with a superb 50:22 being the pick of the bunch. Crucially, his ability to dictate tempo in conjunction with his halfback partner SFM gave the Stormers a cohesive launchpad to play from. His one black mark in the negative ledger was a loose pass that led to Cardiff’s first half try.

10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – 7.5
One week on from a Mathieu Jalibert masterclass, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was in the process of putting on a top class knockout showing of his own. Cut down early in the second half as he dove for his try in what will be a worry for both the Stormers and Springboks. The young ten arguably could’ve put the ball down earlier but instead opted to race towards the posts where he was hit low for an ankle injury. Prior to his departure, the ten was his side’s top carrier with 56 meters made, 2 defenders beaten, a line break and a try (his 10th of the season).

11. Leolin Zas – 5
Smashed his way through the Cardiff fringe defence for a brilliant try that gave the Stormers some breathing space heading into half-time. Unfortunately for the winger this would be his main contribution as he slipped into a quieter role for the rest of the match.

12. Daniel du Plessis – 5
One of the more heavily debated selections given the options available to John Dobson. Du Plessis had a mixed bag with a handful of carries and tackles completed. At times he was targeted by the Cardiff backline but on the whole held his own.

13. Ruhan Nel – 6
Came exceptionally close to scoring a try in the first half only to be held up. The skipper is far from the flashiest of backs in the Stormers backline but his ability to straighten the line takes pressure of Feinberg-Mngomezulu. His obstruction on Ben Thomas to call back Stefan Ungerer’s try was unfortunate and in truth probably avoidable.

14. Seabelo Senatla – 7 
Back with a bang! The former Blitzbokke star instantly upped the ante for the Stormers kick chase with his ability to track his halfback’s kicks. Getting up early, Senatla reminded the Cape Town fans of his ability to glide for an extended time which put intense pressure on the Cardiff back three. His return would be cut short by yet another cruel injury blow in the act of scoring what proved to be a ruled out try.

15. Damian Willemse – 8.5
Away from the flashy, eye catching steps and attacking strikes. The double World Cup winner had some crucial interventions in terms of tidying up loose balls and squaring up the Stormers attack. Slotting into a key distribution role afforded SFM extra space and time to pick and probe at the Cardiff defence. Individually, Willemse topped the carry charts for his side with 17 carries for 70 meters made.

Substitutes
16. JJ Kotze – 7
Scored a late try to seal the result. Away from this he handled his set-piece duties well.

17. Vernon Matongo – 7.5
Scrummaged well in replacement of the high impressive Ntuthuko Mchunu. Whilst he is not quite as dynamic as Mchunu, Matongo is no slouch and kept the intensity up when he did get his hands on the ball.

18. Zachary Porthen – 6
Despite being a Springbok already, the young tighthead clearly has his best days ahead. Bringing solid impact from the bench, his scrummaging prowess is already notable whilst his physicality in the loose is a major boost for the Stormers late in the contest.

19. Salmaan Moerat – 5
Workmanlike from the former skipper who got through his tackles to go with a couple of punchy rumbles with ball in hand.

20. Ruan Ackermann – 5
Replaced the normally irreplaceable Evan Roos and had a few nice carries in the closing exchanges.

21. Marcel Theunissen – 6.5
Replaced Ruben van Heerden at half-time and did miss a beat with 7 carries and 6 line-out grabs.

22. Stefan Ungerer – 6
Came incredibly close to dotting down for a try. Showed all of his experience to close out the results when Cardiff were still very much a live opponent.

23. Jurie Matthee – 5
A mixed bag from the replacement 10 who missed a conversion when he came on but on balance it was a solid showing as he used his kicking game to close out the contest.