The DHL Stormers’ game against Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium on Friday night is about more than just cementing their position in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship top eight against near challengers - it is also about making a statement of intent when it comes to formidable away venues.
The Stormers have never won in Belfast, which in truth hasn’t been kind to many other South African teams during the URC era either.
It is one of rugby’s iconic club venues with, as Stormers skipper for the night Neethling Fouche putting it, the hosts being an entirely different animal when they play there than when they play away.
Lining up a big Friday night in Belfast. #ULSvSTO #iamastormer @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/mATHMdmg3q
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) March 24, 2025
“It is a very different team that you play against when you play them at the Kingspan, but we are excited about that as it will be a good test for us,” said Fouche, who replaces Salmaan Moerat as captain as the lock is out injured.
Not even Leinster win easily at the Kingspan, and Stormers director of rugby John Dobson sees that as a positive heading into Friday night’s game as a win would be meaningful in the sense of what it would do to the team’s confidence ahead of a possible away playoff game later in the season.
More #VURC changes in the back-line for the Stormers tomorrow night against Ulster 💫 pic.twitter.com/79xCor1Tb1
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 27, 2025
“The Kingspan is one of rugby’s most formidable venues to play at. We got done properly here a few years ago when we had a few unfortunate injuries in the first half,” said Dobson.
“Playing Ulster here on a Friday night, with the conditions expected to be really cold, with a wind chill factor of sub-zero, is as tough as you can get it. However, these are the games we have to start winning, a barrier we need to start crossing, if we are going to be confident of competing away, particularly in a playoff game.
“We’ve also been done once or twice at the Scotstoun (home ground of Glasgow Warriors), perhaps a bit unluckily in terms of the scoreline in some of those games, but the bottom line is that if we want to be a force we need to start winning these games. If we can get a win at a tough venue like this, against a team that will be playing for their lives given the log position, then it will be a massive step for us in terms of our growth. That brings massive energy to our effort and I can promise you this will be a game that will be up for.”
MOERAT IS INJURED AND NOT RESTED
Unfortunately for the Stormers it won’t be a case of all hands on deck for them.
Dobson would have raised some eyebrows when the team announcement press release stated earlier in the day that Springbok lock Moerat and fullback Warrick Gelant were being rested, but when he sat down in front of the media Dobson put the record straight.
“Players are not being rested, the only player who is being rested (because of Bok resting protocols) is Frans Malherbe. Both Moerat (plantar fasciitis by the understanding of Dobson’s explanation) and Warrick have injuries and were forced changes. The only unforced change is at scrumhalf, where we are bringing in Dewaldt Duvenage as the starting No 9 because he knows the conditions we will be playing in and he also knows the referee.
“To be honest it is more changes than we had hoped for. We also have Deon Fourie absent of course with his concussion, and we will miss his leadership and calmness. So it is unfortunate we are missing those players, and I thought Salmaan was fantastic against Scarlets last week. We will miss his bulk. At the same time Connor Evans (Moerat’s replacement) is a highly promising young player who would have had more opportunities were it not for injuries and who is going to go on and play many games for the Stormers, and I believe higher than that.”
Given that the Stormers have lost some experience at forward, Dave Ewers’s call up to start at No 6 ahead of someone like young Paul de Villiers is less surprising than it might have first appeared. In the sense that Ewers has played for Ulster and knows the conditions.
“It is for games like these that we contracted Dave,” said Dobson. “He’s played for Ulster and feels he has a point to prove to them, and he’s also played a lot in the northern hemisphere in these kind of conditions. I told Dave when he arrived at us that I hadn’t brought him to the Stormers to be a highveld antelope, it is the kind of game we are expecting on Friday night that we brought him for.
“We are playing on a 4G pitch and that is a lot about momentum and Dave is good at stopping momentum. He is not a No 6 necessarily in the Deon (Fourie) mould but it is good we have an opportunity to fill a gap with a guy like him in a game like this. Paul (de Villiers) is a bit unlucky (not to be on the bench) but with so many backs coming back from injury we needed to have cover there, which is why we have gone for a five/three split (forwards and backs).
EXCITING BACKLINE
Talking of backs, while the forwards might be a bit light of the experience and possibly the bulk he would like to have had against what he describes as a surprisingly big Ulster pack, the opposite is true of the backline.
“It is a very exciting backline, even without Manie and Warrick. The likes of Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu), Damian (Willemse) and Suleiman Hartzenberg all get on and play so well together and I hope that the conditions don’t ruin it. With wind and icy weather it can sometimes become a bit more of a lottery, and maybe given the conditions it will be good to have Damian at fullback.
Simply outrageous 🤯
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 27, 2025
Warrick Gelant is currently second in the running for the #VURC Playmaker Award ✨
It's based on assists, defenders beaten and offloads.
📺 The Stormers face Ulster tomorrow night at 21:35. pic.twitter.com/uXd6Ae3cJP
“Suleiman has been wanting to play outside centre for a while so it is going to be exciting to see what he can do against very good and experienced opponents. Make no mistake, we face a tough task. When you look at the Ulster team you wonder how they are only ninth. All the players who have been involved in the epic battles against us in the past are there.
“They have a big pack and Stuart McCloskey is an Andre Esterhuizen type of centre so he gives them a lot of momentum and will need to be stopped. We are going to have to be on our game and not allow them to wrap around and get momentum or we know we could be in trouble. But I am confident we are up for this game. There is good energy in the team,” he added.
Your DHL Stormers team to take on Ulster in Belfast on Friday night.
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) March 27, 2025
📢 Full team announcement https://t.co/dZ8zW5I0CG#ULSvSTO #iamastormer @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/0ERAraAgbi