Cheslin Kolbe (SP Marais went off in the 15th minute with injury) 8/10: He was an absolute threat whenever he had ball in hand and he gained huge ground. Good, strong run-in for the first try and he showed his pace again when he ran in his second. What a run that was to score his third try! Top effort on defence once again. Broke the Cheetahs’ defensive line twice.
Seabelo Senatla (on for Marais) 6.5/10: Intercepted a Cheetahs pass and scored. A few of his passes in contact were a bit rushed and went loose. One forward pass that killed a promising Stormers attack. As usual, he was busy and looked for work. Also made a few good tackles.
EW Viljoen (on for Juan de Jongh in the 19th minute) 6/10: Good option-taking when he chipped the ball into space for Senatla and Leyds to chase before Senatla’s try. Stopped a dangerous Cheetahs attack when he intercepted a pass out wide and booted the ball ahead. Missed a tackle or two.
Shaun Treeby 5/10: He didn’t make much of an impact in open play and he didn’t do much with ball in hand either. Didn’t make a lot of tackles. Conceded a penalty in open play and one at a ruck. Broke through two tackles.
Dillyn Leyds 6/10: Good hands in the build-up to the first try. He made a few good runs and passes. Broke through a tackle. He’ll have to make more tackles, though.
Damian Willemse 7/10: One poor clearance kick, but the rest of his exit kicks were good. He showed some great decision-making and broke the first line of the Cheetahs’ defence in great way in the first quarter with a dummy pass and a quick step. And that dummy, line break and running into support for his try was superb. Also had a hand in Kolbe’s second try. Penalised for being offside in the second half. Made a couple of good tackles.
Jano Vermaak 6/10: His service was quick and his passes were good. Made his tackles. One ill-advised chip kick.
Nizaam Carr 7/10: Some good work on the ground and he carried well. Capitalised on a messy Cheetahs lineout and snatched possession for the Stormers. He was huge on defence, making 14 tackles and missing only two. Won a turnover, also conceded one.
Kobus van Dyk 7/10: He made big carries and broke through a tackle. Got a few good offloads away. Lost the ball in the tackle once and penalised for not releasing the tackled player in the first half. Two good high-ball takes. Made a lot of tackles.
Rynardt Elstadt 7/10: He made a few good carries, especially in the build-up to Kolbe’s first try and a great run and pass to Willemse leading up to his try. Offloaded straight into Cassiem’s hands after he ran another good line. Broke through the Cheetahs’ defensive line. Made a lot of tackles. Two handling errors. But I don’t know what to say about his discipline. One yellow card for cynical play and a red card.
Pieter-Steph du Toit 6.5/10: Made a few powerful runs and gave a top offload to Frans Malherbe in the second quarter. Lost the ball in the tackle just before halftime. Snatched a Cheetahs lineout early in the second half. Great offload in the tackle to Malherbe in the build-up to Kolbe’s hat-trick try. Broke through a tackle. Made his tackles. Yellow carded for a high tackle in the third quarter.
Chris van Zyl 5/10: Made a few carries and quite a few tackles. One handling error.
Frans Malherbe (captain) 7/10: Top offload to put Kolbe away for his hat-trick try. He made a few good carries and he was solid on defence. Also won a turnover.
Ramone Samuels 6/10: One skew throw-in early on, but the rest were fine. Lost the ball forward.
JC Janse van Rensburg 5/10: Conceded two scrum penalties. Made two good carries and a few good tackles.
Standout replacements:
Bongi Mbonambi 7/10: He won a crucial turnover late in the game and he was also made a few good tackles. And that strong run and fantastic offload to set Sikhumbzo Notshe up for the try was great. One handling error.