The Lions remain the only South African team to have ever beaten the DHL Stormers at Cape Town Stadium, and they must repeat this piece of history to create more history in booking their first trip to the Vodacom URC playoffs.
The Stormers’ home debut in the competition was spoiled when the Lions comfortably beat the eventual champions 37-19 in December, 2021.
Stung by the result, the Stormers have since turned their arena into a bunker, having lost a total of four URC matches in the shadow of Table Mountain, and they head into the final round of the 2023-24 league phase having already qualified for the last eight.
Three-time Super Rugby finalists, the Lions have yet to qualify for the URC playoffs. Ivan van Rooyen’s charges are currently in ninth place and, even though they cannot overtake the Stormers (fifth) on the standings, a famous win in Cape Town on Saturday will catapult them into the quarter-finals, lifting them above whoever loses when Benetton (eighth) host Edinburgh (seventh).
The Stormers may still have the claw marks to show for a season-opening 35-33 victory at Ellis Park that saw the Lions fight back from a 20-point half-time deficit to chase the Cape side to the final whistle.
Speaking in the buildup to this week’s rematch, Lions assistant coach Jaque Fourie acknowledged the challenge that awaits in the Mother City.
Regarded as one of the finest centres of his generation, the 2007 Springbok World Cup winner was a powerful presence in midfield for the Lions and Stormers during a decorated 15-year career.
“We know what is at stake; we have to get a win, and a win with a bonus point would be even better,” Fourie said. “That’s just the crux of the situation.
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“We all know that whenever your back is against the wall and you’ve got nothing to lose then you’re a dangerous team.
“We don’t mind going into this game as underdogs [but] the way that we’ve been playing the last three or four games we’ve got a lot of confidence and hopefully we just continue with that confidence on Saturday.”
Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg, who has scored five tries in 17 appearances in the 2023-24 URC, is relishing the opportunity to enter the den of the inaugural champions.
“Obviously the Stormers have been very good at Cape Town Stadium,” he explained.
“If you look deeper into it we can take a bit of confidence from that win [in 2021-22] but at this stage we’re going to look at ourselves and what we need to do.”
Inspirational Lions playmaker Sanele Nohamba will be key to an upset win, knowing that a top performance can only improve his chances of a call-up to the Springbok squad to face Wales at Twickenham on 22 June.
Nohamba’s transition from scrumhalf to flyhalf has been at the centre of the Lions’ success this season, directing traffic but also building up his resume as a quality goal-kicker.
The 25-year-old is sixth on the current leading points-scorers standings in the URC with 101, earning the respect – and a wary eye – of the competition’s top sharpshooter in back-to-back campaigns, Stormers pivot Manie Libbok.
“The Lions have quality players in their team and they will come out here to give it a proper crack, with it being the last round and a chance for them to get into the playoffs,” Libbok said.
“I’m stoked with how Sanele’s going and am happy for him. You can see that he is enjoying his rugby. I am just looking forward to the game and doing the job I have to do.”
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
