URC 2026/2027 squads rated: Stormers

After going 10 matches unbeaten at the start of last season, the Stormers’ 2025/26 campaign ended with a whimper, finishing third in the United Rugby Championship before losing in the semi-finals to Leinster and agonisingly losing to Toulon in the Investec Champions Cup round of 16.

It was a season that promised a lot and delivered nothing. But the Cape Town outfit have been busy looking for ways to remedy that, bringing in a glut of South African superstars.

It is hard to pick which Springbok arrival will make the biggest impact: national captain and talisman Siya Kolisi? The flawless Cheslin Kolbe? Or the most destructive tighthead on the planet, Wilco Louw? What’s more, there is a handful of Springboks who have come of age over the past year, which only strengthens their squad compared to last year.

The real question is how much game time will the Stormers’ 15 Springboks in their newly announced 56-man squad get this season with the World Cup a year away? Rassie Erasmus will surely be insistent that his stars are not overworked following a 3-1 series win in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry and ahead of a busy year.

But it is hard to disagree with director of rugby John Dobson, who said his side are “well-positioned to build on last season” after naming his squad.

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United Rugby Championship

Connacht

11:45

25 Sep 26

Stormers

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He said: “Last season, we fielded a team that had 1,569 DHL Stormers caps between them, which was the most in the history of the club and a marker that we want to build on as we seek to realise the goals of Project 2029.

“Given the experienced core we have who have stayed loyal to us for so long, the iconic players returning to the fold and the young talent coming through our system, we feel well-positioned to build on last season, which saw us host play-off rugby in Cape Town and push some of the best club teams in the world in knock-out matches on their home turf.

“We have a solid base of experienced players who form the backbone of the squad, with the intention to compete seriously on all fronts this season, while we also have the talent pipeline in place, with the Stormers Rugby Institute continually developing players that are ready to step into the senior squad.”

The Stormers mean business, so here’s how their squad rates (* denotes U21 players):

Loosehead props: Oli Kebble (57), Vernon Matongo (22), Ntuthuko Mchunu (19), Olly Reid* (1)
One player in the twilight of his career, 34-year-old former Scotland international Kebble, one at the start, 2026 World Rugby Junior World Championship winner Reid, and two in between isn’t a bad balance, though they may be slightly thin on the ground with looseheads. But having two internationals, including three-cap Bok prop in Mchunu, shouldn’t be sniffed at. Rating: 7/10

Tighthead props: Neethling Fouché (114), Sazi Sandi (52), Wilco Louw (52), Zachary Porthen (15), Hencus van Wyk (2), Herman Lubbe* (1)
You’ll be hard-pushed to find a better set of tighthead props at any club on earth. Louw is fresh from marmalising the All Blacks‘ scrum, 22-year-old Porthen has already earned seven Springbok caps over the past year and is one that Erasmus clearly likes the look of, and the one-cap Bok Fouché has been a stalwart for the Stormers on the right side of the scrum. Those three can rotate nicely, but even then, the three back-ups provide a nice blend of youth and experience. Beware any looseheads facing the Stormers. Rating: 10/10

Hookers: André-Hugo Venter (89), JJ Kotzé (58), Lukhanyo Vokozela (4), Vernon Paulo (0), Luca Bakkes (0)
The two-cap Bok Venter looks set to wear the No.2 jersey heading into the season, and while it ostensibly looks like Dobson doesn’t have an abundance of options behind him, the picture doesn’t look too bad when flanker Deon Fourie can also be used as an option. The soon-to-be 40-year-old may be used sparingly this year with an eye on the World Cup. Rating: 6/10

Locks: JD Schickerling (74), Adré Smith (69), Connor Evans (40), Gary Porter (19), Riley Norton* (0)
The Stormers have been hit hard by the exits of Springboks Salmaan Moerat and Ruben van Heerden, who have joined La Rochelle and Montpellier, respectively, as well as Alex Groves. They are now left with no Test options in the engine room save for Zimbabwe’s three-cap Porter, although Ben-Jason Dixon can shift into the second-row. Then again, this is a bit of a ‘watch this space’ area, because if Junior Springboks captain Norton continues his meteoric rise over the next year, the second-row may not look too bad. Rating: 6.5/10

Back-rows: Deon Fourie (141), Siya Kolisi (118), Marcel Theunissen (95), Evan Roos (87), Ben-Jason Dixon (86), Hacjivah Dayimani (64), Paul de Villiers (36), Keke Morabe (19), Louw Nel (13), Ruan Ackermann (10), Wandile Mlaba* (2), Divan Fuller* (0)
Kolisi’s arrival has taken an already stacked back-row up a level, or several levels. Dobson now has five Springboks to choose from as well as some high-quality non-capped options in Theunissen, Dayimani and Ackermann. Since last season, de Villiers has become a Springbok and has got his Test career off to a barnstorming start. He will vie with Kolisi for the No.6 jersey for both club and country. The profile of the players also means the Stormers can field different back-rows depending on the opponents or how they want to play. Stacked. Rating: 9/10

Scrum-halves: Stefan Ungerer (47), Imad Khan (18), Cobus Reinach (9), Ezekiel Ngobeni (0), Jayden Brits* (0)
The Stormers learned the hard way last season when Reinach was injured that their back-up wasn’t up to scratch. While the 22-year-old Khan is getting better and better, that problem may rear its head again this season, particularly if the 36-year-old Reinach is rested or picks up another injury. What’s worse, Dewaldt Duvenage’s retirement and Asad Moos’ move to the Lions have only reduced Dobson’s options. Rating: 7/10

Fly-halves: Jean-Luc du Plessis (61), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (53), Jurie Matthee (29), Yaqeen Ahmed* (1), Kyle Smith* (0)
Much like at scrum-half, the Stormers struggled when Feinberg-Mngomezulu picked up an ankle injury at the tail end of last season. There’s quite a gap between the Springbok and his understudies, although that is perhaps inevitable given the fact that he is one of the very best players on the planet. With that said, their strong start of the season came while the 24-year-old was on national duty. Should he stay fit, the Stormers are in for a good season. Another injury and things could go pear-shaped in crunch games. Rating: 7.5/10

Centres: Ruhan Nel (90), Wandisile Simelane (41), Jonathan Roche (16), Markus Muller* (1), Josh Boulle (0)
The Stormers’ midfield appears to lack both star power and depth, which initially seems concerning. Should Damian Willemse fill in at inside centre, things would look starkly different, however. But stalwart Dan du Plessis’ move to Bordeaux-Begles and Suleiman Hartzenberg’s move to the Sharks have left them threadbare if they wish to compete on all fronts. Then again, like other positions, there is plenty of potential there with teenager Muller included, who made a try-scoring debut for South Africa A against Zimbabwe in June. Rating: 6/10

Wings: Leolin Zas (99), Seabelo Senatla (74), Cheslin Kolbe (49), JC Mars* (3), Mfundo Ndhlovu (1), Joel Leotlela (0), Gino Cupido* (0)
The Stormers brought Dylan Maart in last season on loan to add more depth on the wing, but still found themselves scrapping around at times to find cover on the wing, often playing players out of position. It’s not a bad move to alleviate that problem by bringing in Kolbe, arguably the best winger in the world currently, who will compete with Zas and Senatla for a place on either flank. After those three, there is a dramatic drop in experience, but a huge amount of potential with their other options, spearheaded by 21-year-old JC Mars – dubbed the ‘next Cheslin Kolbe’ – who could enjoy a breakthrough season. Rating: 8/10

Full-backs: Damian Willemse (118), Warrick Gelant (77)
Willemse, of course, needs no introduction, and his deputy Gelant is a fellow World Cup-winning Springbok, albeit not the same calibre as the incumbent full-back under Erasmus. The pair can both fill in across the backline, and there aren’t really any concerns over depth as both Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Kolbe had stints at full-back against the All Black during the RGR series. Rating: 8.5/10

Overall rating: 76/100

Transfers
In: Wilco Louw (Bulls), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath).

Out: Corné Weilbach (Saracens), Siyabonga Ntubeni (retired), Ruben van Heerden (Montpellier), Salmaan Moerat (La Rochelle), Alex Groves (Scarlets), Dewald Duvenage (retired), Asad Moos (Lions), Dan du Plessis (Bordeaux), Suleiman Hartzenberg (Sharks), Dylan Maart (Bulls).