The Stormers defeated the Dragons 48-12 at the DHL Stadium on Saturday afternoon, retaining fifth place in the United Rugby Championship table.
Here’s how we rated the Stormers players.
15 Warrick Gelant: The internationally capped full-back made good work of his day, being fully involved in all the action. Always a talented character, his skillful flicks and passes didn’t always come of, however, finding his teammates on different wavelengths at times. In particular, he will not want to remember his one handed, no look, pass which found its way into touch – which he did…twice. 6
14 Ben Loader: The former London Irish star made a couple of huge hits during his showing, and created havoc with ball in hand, proving to be a real nightmare for the opposition. A good showing. 6
13 Wandisile Simelane: Scored a try in first minute after breaking through the Dragons line with 30 metres of space ahead of him. One deadly step later and the 27-year-old was under the posts after sending the covering defender the wrong way. His day continued in a similar vain, as he continued to threaten the defensive line as part of a deadly midfield. 7
12 Damian Willemse: His 100th game for the Stormers turned out to be one of his best. He controlled the backline, took his try well and appeared to have more time than anyone else on the field. A terrific display. 8
11 Seabelo Senatla: A very well taken second try – not sure about the celebration – and a well timed pass to set up what should have been the third try before it was chalked off. Reaching the sort of form that once had him in the conversation around Springbok selection. 7
This guy @Seabelo_Senatla is smoooth. #STOvDRA #iamastormer @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/IcOk8q4yFy
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) May 10, 2025
10 Sacha Mngomezulu: Not one of the finer performances from the Stormers outside half. He lacked the assertion and decision making that normally makes him such a confident and effective player. Too many loose passes and not enough control in a game that should have been his to dictate. Will want to quickly forget about this one. 4
9 Stefan Ungerer: Zippy from the base of the ruck all day and richly rewarded with a try in the second half after following Marcel Theunissen’s remarkable break. A solid showing for someone wishing to keep ahold of the nine shirt. 6
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8 Evan Roos: It was a pretty solid performance from the 25-year-old back-rower. He made a particularly notable line break in the second half, but otherwise he just did his job and blended in to a very efficient Stormers team. 6
7 Marcel Theunissen: The talented flanker was everywhere in today’s game. Breaking tackles, making huge hits, supplying crucial offloads…you name it – he did it. It was his devastating line break for Ungerer’s try that summed up his day. A terrific performance. 8
6 Paul De Villiers: Worked the breakdown perfectly, coming away with multiple turnovers. His commitment to the ruck stopped the Dragons getting quick ball, doing the dirty work to allow his teammates to excel. 6
5 Ruben van Heerden: His job was simple – make those tackles. He stopped the Dragons from playing, and gave his own side a solid base to work from. An under the radar performance that the side could not have done without. 6
4 Salmaan Moerat: Very much like his lock partner, his job was to ensure that the opposition couldn’t play – but his impact on the attack was very different. A huge stature in the attack, the two metre tall Springbok dominated the tackle area with ball in hand, often choosing to offload to onrushing teammates. A devastating display. 8
3 Sazi Sandi: Scrummed well and made the tackles when asked. Didn’t see much of the ball, but the open play was arguably too fast paced to suit his game anyway. 6
2 Joseph Dweba: Looked like a centre in disguise at times. He won’t forget setting Senatla up for a try in a hurry, when he charged at the opposition defence in space, before popping a lovely offload up for the finish. He put a real shift in. 7
1 Vernon Matongo: Like his prop partner, it wasn’t a game that suited him. Will be please with his scrumming efforts, but will wish he made himself more effective in open play. 5
Replacements: The match was arguably already won before many of them entered the field, but it did provide the Stormers a sense of freshness to see the game off – particularly after the Dragons tried clawing themselves back into it with a quarter of the game remaining. 6
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Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/stormers-player-ratings-damian-willemse-celebrates-milestone-in-style-as-hosts-fight-off-determined-dragons
