10 October 2026
The Stormers secured a thrilling 39-22 victory over the Sharks in an intense, high-scoring coastal derby. The Capetonians laid a solid foundation in the first half, flexing their muscle upfront to open up a commanding lead before resisting a fierce second-half fightback from the Durbanites.
The hosts signalled their intent early when Seabelo Senatla flew over in the corner after five minutes of intense pressure. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu missed the touchline conversion but quickly drilled a penalty to hand the Stormers an early 8-0 lead.
The Sharks hit back through their heavy hitters when Emmanuel Tshituka powered over from close range. The physical battle intensified across the park as both sides targeted territory through a tactical kicking duel.
The Stormers' scrum dominated the first half, winning successive penalties against the head to pin the visitors back. Eighth-man Hacjivah Dayimani reaped the rewards, dotting down behind a powerful 5-metre maul.
Disaster struck for the visitors when Matt Romao received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle. The Cape franchise capitalised instantly, sending Andre-Hugo Venter over on the stroke of halftime for a 22-8 lead.
The hosts caught the Sharks sleeping right after the restart when Leolin Zas snatched a loose ball from a ruck to score. The Sharks responded tenaciously with a powerful driving maul of their own, rewarding Matt Romao with a five-pointer.
The visitors kept cloning the momentum as Phepsi Buthelezi burst over from a quick tap penalty. Gianni Lombard added the extras to narrow the deficit to a tense 34-22.
The Stormers halted the resurgence when JJ Kotze crashed over from a perfectly executed rolling maul. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu slotted the pressure conversion from out wide to push the buffer beyond two converted tries.
Dayimani thought he secured a hat-trick in the 71st minute after breaking clear. The TMO intervened, spotting a forward pass from Damian Willemse to deny the score and confirm a 39-22 victory for the hosts.
Scorers:
DHL Stormers: Tries: Seabelo Senatla, Hacjivah Dayimani (2), Andre-Hugo Venter, Leolin Zas, JJ Kotze. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3). Penalty: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Hollywoodbets Sharks: Tries: Manu Tshituka, Matt Romao. Phepsi Buthelezi. Conversions: Gianni Lombard (2). Penalty: Gianni Lombard.
Teams:
DHL Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (c), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu. Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Neethling Fouché, 19 Riley Norton, 20 Connor Evans, 21 Deon Fourie, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Wandisile Simelane.
Hollywoodbets Sharks: 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Andre Esterhuizen (c), 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Matt Romao, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Eduan Swart,1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Esethu Mnebelele, 17 Cameron Dawson, Vincent Koch, Jason Jenkins, Stephan Lewies, Nick Hatton, Ivan van Zyl, Gianni Lombard.
