The DHL Stormers U20 Bolts secured a resounding 71-35 victory over the Toyota Cheetahs U20 in a thrilling, high-scoring encounter at Grey College on 11 September 2026.
With this crucial bonus-point victory, the Stormers Bolts move up to 24 log points, firmly cementing their place near the top of the standings. Meanwhile, the Toyota Cheetahs U20 remain anchored to the bottom of the table in last place on just 4 points, still desperately searching for their first win of the campaign.
The Capetonians put on an absolute masterclass in attacking rugby during the match, running in an incredible ten tries. Winger Pretorius Ekeji starred as the undisputed player of the match, crossing the whitewash four times to completely dismantle the home team's defence.
The Stormers Bolts fired the opening shots, stunning the hosts with two quick-fire, unconverted tries from Xabiso Mkiva and Jordan Steenkamp within the first 12 minutes.
The Cheetahs U20 showed great fighting spirit, hitting back with a converted try via Bernard Wessels. Minutes later, Mokgaotsi Mosiane sniped through for another score, which flyhalf Heinz Stockenstrom converted to hand the Bloemfontein outfit a brief 14–10 lead by the 20th minute.
However, the momentum swung decisively back to Cape Town before the break. Pretorius Ekeji scored his first of the afternoon, followed closely by a five-pointer from Dominic Sesink Clee.
The Cheetahs suffered a massive blow in the 38th minute when Bernard Wessels was shown a yellow card, and the Stormers immediately made the extra man count. RJ Davids crossed the line on the stroke of halftime, allowing the visitors to head into the sheds with a commanding 31–14 advantage.
The second half became a one-sided affair, dictated largely by Ekeji's brilliance. He added his second try just five minutes after the restart, and despite a response from Cheetahs sub Sibusiso Mahlangu, Steenkamp completed his own brace to keep the Stormers firmly out of reach.
The hosts refused to go down without a fight, with Stockenstrom scoring and converting two brilliant individual tries to spearhead a spirited late fightback.
The class of the coastal side ultimately proved too much in the final quarter. Steph Van der Merwe scored in the 67th minute, setting the stage for Ekeji to complete his hat-trick just moments later.
In the literal final play of the game, Ekeji put the cherry on top by scoring his fourth try, which Meyer Prinsloo comfortably converted to round off an emphatic 71–35 triumph for the Stormers Bolts.
Scorers:
Toyota Cheetahs U20: Tries: Sibusiso Mahlangu, Mokgaotsi Mosiane, Bernard Wessels, Heinz Stockenstrom (2). Conversions: Heinz Stockenstrom (5).
DHL Stormers Bolts: Tries: Pretorius Ekeji (4), RJ Davids, Steph Van Der Merwe, Xabiso Mkiva, Jordan Steenkamp (3), Dominic Sesink Clee. Conversions: Meyer Prinsloo (8).
Teams:
Toyota Cheetahs U20: 1 Sibabalwe Booi, 2 Jan Coetzee, 3 Sean Vermaak, 4 Renier Grobler, 5 Jayden Auld, 6 Mokgaotsi Mosiane, 7 Bohlale Maphisa, 8 Sibusiso Mahlangu, 9 Bernard Wessels, 10 Darius Erwee, 11 Jade Muller, 12 Duncan Basson, 13 Anrich Scheffer, 14 Junior Ramosena, 15 Heinz Stockenstrom. Replacements: 16 Dian Venter, 17 Werner Vrey, 18 Petrus Oberholzer, 19 Jason Rip, 20 Henro Kotze, 21 HG Muller, 22 Kgolagano Legodi, 23 Donelle Hendriks.
DHL Stormers Bolts: 1 Unaye Mndau, 2 Xabiso Mkiva, 3 Danie Kruger, 4 Zander Van Zyl, 5 Dominic Sesink Clee, 6 Aluta Wesi, 7 Gert Kemp, 8 Aden Da Costa, 9 Tyrone Gombe, 10 Dawid Badenhorst, 11 Jordan Steenkamp, 12 RJ Davids, 13 Luca Potgieter, 14 Pretorius Ekeji, 15 Meyer Prinsloo. Replacements: 16 Ismaeel Conrad, 17 Zak Hickman, 18 Lukho Mtwana, 19 Alex Smith, 20 Steph van der Merwe, 21 MJ van der Westhuizen, 22 Adeeb Boraine, 23 Jacobus Blanckenberg.