Stormers player ratings: ‘Marvellous’ Manie Libbok shines on comeback as Damian Willemse’s ‘blinder’ spoilt
Following the Stormers’ 34-24 victory over Cardiff, here is how we rated John Dobson’s side in the United Rugby Championship clash in Cape Town.
Stormers player ratings v Cardiff
15 Damian Willemse: A lazy tackle resulted in a red card, which was a real shame because he was having a blinder of a performance, and that spoilt it. His superb kick led to Leolin Zas’ second try while he repeatedly beat defenders with his brilliant footwork. A joy to watch before that red. 5
14 Suleiman Hartzenberg: It’s easy to see why the 21-year-old already has 50 Stormers appearances and has caught the eye of the Springboks selectors with involvement in previous alignment camps. He was electric today, punching through the holes in the Cardiff defence each time he got the ball and was rewarded with a try after setting up Zas for his first. Grabbed another after a gorgeous kick from Manie Libbok. Excellent under the high ball, too. He has a long career ahead of him in the blue and white hoops still, but that green and gold can’t be too far away either. Voted as Man of the Match and rightly so. 9
13 Wandisile Simelane: Some trickery with his footwork, which is stock standard for him, and made good decisions overall. Solid without being as sensational as last week, which was always going to be a big ask. 6
12 Dan du Plessis: Should not have ended up in the position as pillar defender and Cardiff profited from it as Danny Southworth scored. But outside of that, it was another solid shift. Always a glue-man in the centres and today was no different. 6
11 Leolin Zas: Simply brilliant. He may well force his way back into the Springboks’ frame before the end of the URC season. His first try was simple wing play to follow the attack but his second was a sensational bit of skill to keep the ball in play before showing his predatory nature to score and played to the whistle. Excellent under the high ball, too. Should have done better with 15 minutes to play to get his hat-trick. 8 10 Manie Libbok: A marvellous return from injury as he barely missed a beat during his 55 minutes on the park. A stunning long pass led to the opening try for the Stormers, and he served Hartzenberg on a platter for his second. His high kicks were on point, too. A timely return, and Dobson will be pleased that he has hit the ground sprinting. 8
