Stormers player ratings: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s ‘match-defining’ shift pipped by Springboks snub as rookie demolishes Italian star

Following the Stormers’ 31-13 victory over Zebre Parma, here’s how we rated John Dobson’s charges as they notched up their fourth straight United Rugby Championship (URC) win.

Stormers player ratings

15 Warrick Gelant: You have to take the good with the bad when it comes to the Stormers full-back. The good: his line to score off a bullet Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu pass, his backfield coverage and counterattacks. The bad: his loose pass that Zebre scored off, some of his work under the high ball and wasteful kicks. He was slightly more good than bad. 5

14 JC Mars: Thrown into the starting XV following the late withdrawal of Seabelo Senatla and made a good account of himself. Like the rest of the Stormers backs, he has been given license to express himself and did so at times. He had precious few opportunities, though. 6

13 Ruhan Nel (c): It’s no coincidence that the Stormers’ resolute defence has coincided with Nel’s return to full fitness. Zebre couldn’t get around the midfielder, who was strong with the ball in hand, too. He rarely has a poor outing and didn’t produce one in Parma either. 7

12 Damian Willemse: The top ball carrier for the Stormers in Parma, as he used his fleet-footwork to get over the gain-line. He mixed that up well with his distribution in the dual playmaking threat with Feinberg-Mngomezulu and fronted up defensively, too. Like many of the backs, he was far from box-office but far from poor. 6

11 Leolin Zas: Starved of possession, but that was not helped by his lacklustre aerial performance. He conceded five turnovers in total, the most in the fixture and missed two tackles. 3

10 Sacha  Feinberg-Mngomezulu: Another match-defining performance from the rising star playmaker. He scored two tries, converted three of his four attempts and threw a fantastic pass for Gelant’s try. He was the momentum swing. 8

9 Stefan Ungerer: While he made a handful of errors and at times needed to stretch the Zebre defence more, it was an otherwise tidy performance from the

number nine. 5

Powerful pack performance

8 Evan Roos: His relentless work-rate was rewarded with the man of the match award. He gained more metres than any other forward in the fixture as he proved to be a tricky customer in the extremities and stayed on the right side of the referee’s whistle. Rassie Erasmus continues to overlook the number eight despite the concerns in the position, and while this was not an earth-shattering shift, it was a strong one. 7

7 Ben-Jason Dixon: Part of a dominant pack performance. Dixon is simply a grafter and an effective one. A glue type of forward, and that’s what he produced. 6

6 Paul de Villiers: Grabbed a try, pestered Zebre’s breakdown and was effective in generating quick ball for the Stormers’ attack. One of his team’s leading tacklers when he was on the park too. De Villiers has taken to the URC like a duck to water and is yet to have a poor game this season. 7

5 Ruben van Heerden: Wreaked havoc on Zebre’s lineout and repeatedly secured possession at the set-piece for his side. A key cog in the Stormers’ pack and will be sorely missed next season, but right now, Dobson will be pleased with his performance in the engine room. 7

4 Adré Smith: Abrasive, aggressive and effective. Another nuts and bolts player that makes the pack tick. Ill-discipline has often been his downfall, but that was not the case against Zebre. 6

3 Zachary Porthen: The youngster made light work of Italian international Muhamed Hasa in a powerful scrummaging performance. The 21-year-old was also effective on defence, with only Roos making more tackles than him. Injuries to Springboks Frans Malherbe and Neethling Fouche have afforded him the opportunity in the starting line-up, but he is making the most of it. He looks to be a star in the making. 8

2 JJ Kotze: Played his part in a dominant set-piece showing, where he found his jumper with every lineout throw and lent his weight in the scrums. Can’t have asked for much more. Job well done. 7

1 Ali Vermaak: The final cog in an excellent forward pack effort. Vermaak dominated in every one of the scrums he featured in before his number was called early in the second half. Quite simply, he demolished the Zebre pack. 8

Replacements: The starting front-rowers set the tone in the scrums, and André-Hugo Venter, Vernon Matongo, and Hencus van Wyk simply pick up from where they started. Ditto for JD Schickerling, Ruan Ackermann, and Marcel Theunissen. Imad Khan and Wandisile Simelane came on in the final quarter but had little to do. Ultimately, Dobson’s decision to select a 6-2 split was vindicated. 7