DHL Stormers were made to work hard for a 26-10 win over a game Ospreys to secure the second win in a row of the 2025/26 United Rugby Championship. A great start to their season, showing some good form and willingness to grind out a game.
The Ospreys started like a house on fire and scored their first try after three minutes of play when scrummy Hieran Hardy snipes next to a ruck and scored their first try of the match to lead 05-00.
The Stormers attacked from the kick-off, and eventually Evan Roos pounced on a kick-pass by Jurie Matthee to level the scores after ten minutes of play.
Following the try by Roos, both teams had their opportunities to score; however, with ten minutes still to play, the Ospreys attacked, started seventy meters from the Stormers' tryline, and following great work by Dan Kasende, he offloaded to Kieran Hardy, who had an easy run to score his second try of the match. The Ospreys led 10-05 at that stage.
With time up on the clock, Jurie Matthee converted a penalty to cut the Ospreys’ lead to 10-08, which was also the halftime score.
Jurie Matthee converted two early penalties to edge the Stormers 14-10 in the lead after sixteen minutes of play in the second half.
From the kick-off, the Stormers attacked from within their half, and following great interplay and miraculous passes, Wandisile Simelane scored the Stormers' second try. Matthee converted to extend the Stomers' lead to 21-10.
The Stormers’ dominance continued to grow, and Paul de Villiers broke off the back of a dominant scrum to extend the Stormers' lead to 26-10, and ten minutes still to play.
Despite a great effort on the attack during the final ten minutes of the match, the Stormers could not score the bonus point try and won 26-10.
Teams:
DHL Stormers: 15 Wandisile Simelane, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (c), 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Connor Evans, 6 Marcel Theunissen, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Vernon Matongo. Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Ruben van Heerden, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Paul de Villiers, 22 Stefan Ungerer, 23 Clinton Swart.
Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Dan Kasende, 13 Phil Cokanasiga, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Harri Deaves, 6 James Ratti, 5 Huw Sutton, 4 Rhys Davies, 3 Rhys Henry, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Gareth Thomas. Replacements: 16 Lewis Lloyd, 17 Cam Jones, 18 Tom Botha, 19 James Fender, 20 Morgan Morse, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Tom Florence, 23 Lestyn Hopkins.