July 26, 17:59

Boland Cavaliers beat Stormers 41-3 in Currie Cup match in Paarl

The Boland Cavaliers team secured an impressive victory over their more well-known neighbors, the Stormers, with a score of 41-3 on Sunday afternoon at Boland Stadium, concluding the second round of the Currie Cup tournament.

Match Progression Between Teams

The Wellington-based team achieved its second convincing win in the tournament following a previous encounter with the Bulls. The match began with fullback Boland Domenic Smit and winger Xavier Mitchell scoring exciting touchdowns within the first six minutes of play. However, both conversion attempts missed by winger Jayden Bantom, allowing the Cavaliers to take the lead with a score of 10-0.

The Stormers regretted their missed opportunities and their decision to underestimate the Currie Cup even more, as the home team played with greater determination in the second half. Hooker Joshua Eras scored a touchdown in the 45th minute. Subsequently, a quick Bantom scored twice, increasing the hosts' advantage to 34-3 ten minutes before the end of the match.

Bantom completed his hat-trick in the 78th minute, exacerbating the difficult performance of the Stormers and earning him a personal tally of 26 points, despite the early misses. This victory allowed Boland to climb to second place in the table with eight points.

Results of Other Matches

Meanwhile, the Lions, last season's finalists, recovered from their first-round defeat by securing an important 52-29 victory over former champions Pumas at Ellis Park Stadium, thus holding onto third place with seven points. Like the Stormers, the Joburgers rely on a relatively inexperienced squad for matchday 23, having only a small number of senior franchise players.

According to head coach Mzwakhe Nkosi, the Lions looked like a much more competent team at this stage of the tournament. The win against a more experienced opponent will be very beneficial for the team. Nkosi noted that 'we still saw some youthful naivety, especially from the 69th minute.'

He continued that they 'did not really stifle the game and take it away from the Pumas until later.' Nevertheless, he stated that they will continue to work with these players, as they have two more first-class matches ahead. Nkosi expressed hope that the players will grow through participation in first-class cricket. He also mentioned that in the game against the Pumas, 'our pack came at us, especially in the first half,' and they had to learn lessons.

Nkosi added that in last week's match against the Free State Cheetahs, they felt slightly unlucky. However, in Saturday's game, they played how they wanted and demonstrated more positive aspects than the previous week. He believes that the players will start to believe in their raw talent and desired style of play, becoming increasingly capable.

Other Weekend Results

In other results from the past weekend, the Free State Cheetahs defeated the Sharks XV 43-21 in Bloemfontein on Friday, and the defending champions Griquas dominated the Bulls 56-26 on Saturday. The Cheetahs remain leaders at the start of the competition, having earned the maximum from two games, while their northern neighbors, Griquas, close out the top four with six points.

The schedule for the third day of matches includes: Griquas versus FS Cheetahs on Friday (at 19:00); Stormers versus Sharks XV on Saturday (at 15:00) and Lions versus Bulls (at 17:00); and Boland versus Pumas on Sunday (at 15:00).

iol.co.zaJuly 23, 14:35

Stormers XXIII make minimal changes ahead of derby in Winelands against Boland

The Stormers XXIII team has made minimal adjustments to the squad ahead of the upcoming Kerry Cup derby against Boland Cavaliers. The match will take place on Sunday afternoon at Boland Stadium in Winelands.

Changes to the Starting Lineup

Stormers XXIII captain, experienced midfielder Stefan Ungerer, will lead the team on their trip to Winelands. The only change to the starting lineup, which secured a victory over Griquas last week, is due to winger Jean-Luc Du Plessis' knee injury, who will be unable to play. He will be replaced by Dominic Malgas, who impressed with his substitute performance last weekend.

Squad and Coaching Instructions

The matchday squad includes two changes among the substitutes. Defender Gary Porter returns after participating in international games for the Zimbabwe Sables, and versatile defender Kian Davis is preparing to debut in the Kerry Cup from the bench. Head coach Tom Dawson-Squib emphasized the need for the team to raise its level of play before the confident Boland side, which recently achieved a convincing 24-10 victory over Bulls.

Dawson-Squib noted that they have good continuity in the squad this week, and he hopes to see improvement in all aspects. He also added that Wellington is known as a difficult place to play, so the team will have to put in extra effort. The coach mentioned that no players returning from South African junior squads were available this week, but he expects them to be able to join the team in the future. He concluded that achieving the desired result will require enormous effort from all participants, but he does not doubt the character and fight of this group over 80 minutes on Sunday.

iol.co.zaJuly 17, 07:15

Stormers XXIII begin Currie Cup against Griquas in Cape Town

The Stormers XXIII team is preparing to start its journey in the Currie Cup, with a debut match against defending champions Griquas on Friday evening in Cape Town. This game will take place at the DHL Stadium at 19:05.

A New Era in the Currie Cup

Following a rebranding from the traditional Western Province team, the Cape Town squad is determined to kick off the domestic campaign, aiming to interrupt Griquas' recent dominance in the tournament. Since 2021, Griquas have won seven out of eight matches against WP.

Preparation and Expectations

The new Stormers XXIII team, which combines experienced players and young talents, intends to halt this winning streak in their race for the title. New head coach Tom Dawson-Squib noted that the position of underdog in this match is interesting for the team.

He added that despite Griquas being the reigning champions and SA Cup finalists, they are confident in their abilities. 'We are happy to be underdogs against them; we know what they can do. They are very physically strong and will tackle a lot. But we have worked hard over the last four weeks, and we are excited to show them what we are capable of,' said Tom Dawson-Squib.

Team Lineups

In the Stormers XXIII lineup, wing-half Jean-Luc du Plessis will captain the team. Six players—fullback Dylan Miller, wing Mfundo Ndhlovu, number eight Wandile Mlaba, lock Tom Barnard, low-forward Xola Nyali, and utility back Dominic Malgas—are debuting in the Currie Cup.

The Griquas XV squad includes Gurswin Wehr, Dylan Maart, Mnombo Zwelendaba, Sako Makata, Stefan Coetzee, George Whitehead, Bobby Alexander, Dillon Smith, Marco de Witt, Carl Els, Albert Liebenberg (captain), Malembe Mpofu, IG Prinsloo, Janco Uys, and Leon Lions.