11 October 2026
The DHL Stormers U20 Bolts secured a sensational 54-22 comeback victory against the Leopards U20 in a high-scoring thriller to secure their place in the semi-final. Despite enduring heavy disciplinary issues and early injuries, the Cape side unleashed a massive second-half onslaught to dominate the scoreboard.
The opening forty minutes belonged to a gritty Leopards outfit that capitalised on the Stormers' poor discipline. Christoff Nel broke the deadlock in the 13th minute with a well-worked try. The Capetonians hit back almost immediately through flyhalf Jayden Brits, who converted his own five-pointer to temporarily nudge his side ahead.
The Stormers' defensive structure crumbled under heavy card trouble as Dominic Sesink Clee and Lukho Mtwana were sent to the sin bin in quick succession. The Leopards made their numerical advantage count, crossing the whitewash via Zuan Rautenbach and Eagan Roux to stretch their lead. A late, resilient response from Almero Keizer just before the whistle kept the Bolts within striking distance at the break.
Despite starting the second half with yet another yellow card to Dylan Miller, the Stormers completely flipped the script. Dawid Badenhorst sparked the resurgence with an early try to reclaim the lead. Gert Kemp kept the momentum going shortly after, capitalising on relentless front-foot ball to dot down.
The Leopards hit back briefly with a fighting try from Zacary Meyer, but it proved to be their final roll of the dice. From there, the Cape franchise turned on the style, slicing open the visitors' defence at will. Lukho Mtwana and RJ Davids crossing the line blew the game wide open.
The final nail in the coffin was hammered in by Quintin Potgieter, who bagged a rapid-fire brace late in the clash. Jayden Brits remained clinical with the boot, slotting the final conversions to cap off a masterful second-half demolition.
Scorers:
DHL Stormers U20 Bolts: Tries: Almero Keizer, RJ Davids, Gert Kemp, Quintin Potgieter (2), Jayden Brits, Dawid Badenhorst, Lukho Mtwana. Conversions: Jayden Brits (7).
Sharks U20 GEN: Tries: Zuan Rautenbach, Christoff Nel, Zacary Meyer, Eagan Roux. Conversions: Marno Greeff.
Teams: DHL Stormers U20 Bolts: 1 Zak Hickman, 2 Almero Keizer, 3 Lukho Mtwana, 4 Zander Van Zyl, 5 Dominic Sesink Clee, 6 Wihan Kotze, 7 Gert Kemp, 8 Quintin Potgieter, 9 Jayden Brits, 10 Dawid Badenhorst, 11 Jordan Steenkamp, 12 Jacobus Blanckenberg, 13 RJ Davids, 14 Jack Benade, 15 Dylan Miller. Replacements: 16 Altus Rabe, 17 Unaye Mndau, 18 Matthew Van Der Merwe, 19 Alex Smith, 20 Tom Barnard, 21 Tyrone Gombe, 22 Olunje Mehlomakulu, 23 Samuel Badenhorst.
Leopards U20: 1 Kian Rademeyer, 2 Eli Pedro, 3 Zachary Meyer, 4 Erich Potgieter, 5 Zuan Rautenbach, 6 Christoff Nel, 7 Adrian Freemantle, 8 GJ Steenberg, 9 Marcwin Nero, 10 Marno Greeff, 11 Anele Ngwenya, 12 Eagan Roux, 13 Handre Maree, 14 Benjamin Van Den Berg, 15 Hanu Fourie. Replacements: 16 Luan Van Der Sandt, 17 Robert John-onsunkwo, 18 Botshelo Motsepe, 19 Ruan Janse Van Rensburg, 20 Liebrecht Winterbach, 21 Nicolaz Burden, 22 Philip Du Plessis, 23 Christopher Dennis.