Stormers player ratings vs Leicester Tigers | 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup

Stormers player ratings: The Stormers bounced back from their first defeat of the season last week with a 39-26 victory over Leicester Tigers in Cape Town to put themselves in a strong position to book a home Investec Champions Cup round of 16 tie.

The United Rugby Championship leaders may well have lost last week against Harlequins in London, but this was a far different team back at home, with plenty of stars returning.

With Leicester turning up with a weakened team, few would have expected a victory for the Gallagher PREM side, and so it proved to be.

Then again, the visitors put up a strong fight, as the scoreline suggests, and the Stormers only went in at the break holding a slender 15-14 lead.

Here’s how the Stormers players rated:

15 Wandisile Simelane – 6
Stepped in well at full-back in the absence of Damian Willemse and Warrick Gelant, but was not entirely convincing in the back field, and Leicester certainly won the battle in the air.

14 Dylan Maart – 5
Saw none of the ball in the first half, as much of the carrying was done between the down 15-metre channels. Could he have done better to stop Will Wand when rushing from his wing to stop the centre? It was a tough one, but not impossible. His defence was a slight concern with three missed tackles.

13 Suleiman Hartzenberg – 6
A poor defensive read saw his opposite man Wand coast in for Leicester’s second try. He would have left the field after 50 minutes rueing his lack of action in the match.

12 Jonathan Roche – 8
Seemed to thrive from space that seemed to come from Leicester’s preoccupation with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, piercing the line frequently. Defensively, he got over the ball to win a penalty at one stage, and was solid in the midfield.

11 Leolin Zas – 7
Like Maart, starved of the ball in the first half, and didn’t see much more in the second, but made it count with a sniping support line to put his side back in the lead.

10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – 6
Captaining the team for the first time, the 23-year-old was in no way encumbered by the responsibility, playing with his usual freedom. The Tigers seemed out to put pressure on him, understandably, and there were some errors in his game, but he rode the storm. His yellow card in the second half for leading with a forearm in contact certainly was a blemish.

9 Stefan Ungerer – 6
Came in with some astute defensive reads in the backfield, but the Stormers’ attack does not seem to function with the same pace and fluidity with him at the helm compared to Cobus Reinach. Then again, Reinach is an established international, which would explain why.

1 Ntuthuko Mchunu – N/A
Really lively in defence, springing out the line with plenty of energy, but his match only lasted five minutes.

2 André-Hugo Venter – 7.5
Scored the second try of the contest from a driving maul, but often carried with bags of aggression. It wasn’t plain sailing at the set-piece, with Leicester exerting pressure on the lineout.

3 Neethling Fouché – 6
The scrum didn’t all go the Stormers’ way in the opening exchanges, but Fouché stuck to his guns and got the rewards as the match progressed. Pinged early in the second half at a scrum, but one he may have felt he had the upper hand in. Not his usual level of scrummaging dominance in his 50 minutes on the pitch.

4 JD Schickerling – 8
Starting with captain Salmaan Moerat absent this week, but was still able to trouble the Leicester lineout. Ran in from 45 metres out, chucking in a dummy for good measure, to go over for the Stormers’ bonus-point try.

5 Ruben van Heerden – 7
Big engine and got through his work on either side of the ball, racking up 11 tackles in 64 minutes, and the Stormers’ most reliable lineout option.

6 Paul de Villiers – 8.5
Maintained the elite level he has shown all season, although he wasn’t the menace on the floor he can be. On hand following a break like any good flanker to put Evan Roos in for a try. Produced the goods after the break as well, getting his arms free in contact to put Zas in for a try. With a match-leading 14 tackles, this was a great display.

7 Ben-Jason Dixon – 6
Put in a couple of shots that actually evoked an ‘ooooh’ from the crowd, but those moments were perhaps too fleeting. Couldn’t consistently impose himself on the match.

8 Evan Roos – 7
Crashed over to open the scoring, showing good strength to get the finish, and troubled the Tigers defence in the wider channels at times. Maybe didn’t prove to be the force many know he can be in the middle quarters, and was replaced with 15 minutes remaining.

Replacements
16 JJ Kotzé – 7
17 Vernon Matongo – 8
18 Zachary Porthen – 8.5
19 Connor Evans – 6
20 Marcel Theunissen – 6
21 Imad Khan – 6.5
22 Luke Burger – 6
23 JC Mars – N/A