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The Citizen
a day ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Time to say goodbye: Stormers send players off on low note
The Stormers are losing at least five players permanently, and one possibly on sabbatical, after their URC season came to an end over the past weekend. Stormers flyhalf Manie Libbok and hooker Joseph Dweba are both leaving, Libbok possibly on sabbatical, and Dweba permanently, during the off season. Picture: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images The Stormers said goodbye to a number of players on a low note when they were dumped out of the United Rugby Championship (URC) at the quarterfinal stage by Glasgow Warriors over the past weekend. At least five players have played their last game for the Cape side to take up opportunities in the UK and Europe, unless some return later in their careers. Scrumhalves Herschel Jantjies and Paul de Wet are heading to Bayonne in France and the Bulls respectively, while hooker Joseph Dweba departs for English Premiership side Exeter Chiefs. English wing Ben Loader is heading back home to try reignite his international aspirations with Gloucester, and former Zimbabwe international and Exeter Chiefs legend Dave Ewers has decided to hang up his boots, after spending his final season playing a mentorship and back up role at the union. Arguably the biggest loss, possibly on a short term sabbatical to Japan, will be Springbok flyhalf Manie Libbok, with Director of Rugby John Dobson confirming after the Glasgow loss that he was on his way out with the others, but with no confirmation on what sort of deal. Fade into the night 'Paul de Wet was (with us from) URC one, and didn't get on the field. Obviously Joe (Dweba), Manie and Hersch are big players for us that we wanted to fade out into the night. Dave Ewers also didn't get on the field,' said Dobson, on Friday night, about the players leaving. 'We'll go have a chat now when we get back to the hotel because that changing room is so sad now. It's like an American Civil War tent. The guys are really, really distraught and it's not the way I want to say goodbye to these guys who, as I say, have put a lot in. 'We really, honestly, in our heart of hearts believed we'd be playing next week. All those names, Ben Loader too, have been really good Stormers, so (it is) not how we wanted to say goodbye to them like this.' Another big blow to the Stormers was the unexpected forced retirement of club legend Steven Kitshoff earlier this year, after he was unable to fully recover from a serious neck injury. But it is not all doom and gloom for the union, however, as they have a couple of big names set to join them in the off season, while a number of other deals are expected to be made as well. The biggest arrivals are Springbok double World Cup winning scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, who started his career in Durban with the Sharks and will likely finish up his career at the Stormers, and Sharks prop Ntuthuko Mchunu, who is moving down the coast.
The Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- The Herald
Stormers bullied by physical Glasgow, says Dobson
The Stormers were bullied when they crashed to a heavy 36-18 defeat against Glasgow Warriors in a United Rugby Championship quarterfinal clash, coach John Dobson said. In the aftermath of a devastating loss at Scotstoun Stadium on Friday, a perplexed Dobson said he did not know how his team would be able to fix their inability to dominate the gain line. The victory kept Glasgow's hopes of lifting back-to-back URC titles alive after they beat the Bulls 21-16 in the 2024 final at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. 'I think we were bullied physically, everything went wrong, and they put us under pressure,' Dobson said. 'To get so well beaten is very disappointing for us and I was probably our worst game of the season. 'Things like the line-outs and technical stuff we can fix and we also lost the technical battle and we can work on that. 'What worried me a little bit was the gain line and I thought Glasgow were physically very good and we got bullied there. 'I'm not sure how easy it is to fix that. Maybe we should spend more time in the gym. I don't know. 'Physically, they really got stuck into us and that is poor and I don't know how we fix that. 'We were well beaten by Glasgow. 'Things that we thought would not go wrong went wrong, like our line-outs. 'But all credit to Glasgow and the way they play. 'Their attack was really good and they ran with purpose.' The defeat left Dobson saying farewell to several players on a low note. Joseph Dweba, Herschel Jantjies and Ben Loader have now played their last game for the Stormers before leaving the franchise. 'It's actually sitting pretty tough in the throat,' he said. 'We didn't think we were not going to be playing next week. 'The guys are really, really distraught and it's not the way I want to say goodbye to these guys who, as I say, have put a lot in. 'We really, honestly, in our heart of hearts believed we'd be playing next week. 'I think after the last try, in the last half an hour, we were just playing very, very poorly and they put us under a lot of pressure. 'We weren't getting any yardage in our carry and [made] a plethora of mistakes. Massive credit to Glasgow for their defence a nd their ability with ball in hand. 'If we're going to kick as inaccurately as we kicked tonight [on Friday], with their attack they will punish us. 'We'd been going 90% line-outs for the last four games, then suddenly dropped in the 70s; dropped down to giving away 17 line breaks; dropped down to 65% tackle completion, which is a credit to Glasgow [in terms of] how they attacked. 'But we kept our worst performance probably in a couple of years for a knockout game, which is really disappointing.' Warriors head coach Franco Smith: 'We were a little bit off it at the end of the regular season but I'm glad we could bounce back in the quarterfinal. 'We speak the whole season about the quality of the competition and the quality of the sides. There was no easy game — always tough. 'Rory Darge played well; Henco Venter and Tom Jordan were also excellent against the Stormers. 'It's good to have played Friday night. 'We get to wait and see and whatever comes our way, we will make sure we recover well. 'The boys have learnt and adapted. They really work hard and they believe in what we do.' The Herald
The Citizen
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Stormers aim to blitz Glasgow with ‘bomb squad' in URC quarterfinal
The Stormers have backed their 'bomb squad' to make the difference in their URC quarterfinal against defending champions Glasgow Warriors. Stormers hooker Joseph Dweba will be a part of an intimidating bomb squad in their URC quarterfinal against Glasgow Warriors in Scotland on Friday night. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images The Stormers will be looking to blitz United Rugby Championship (URC) defending champs Glasgow Warriors with their own 'bomb squad' when the teams collide in their quarterfinal encounter at the Scotstoun Stadium in Scotland on Friday night (kick-off 8:35pm). The Cape challengers have named a very strong team for the match, making 10 changes to their starting lineup from the side that comfortably beat Cardiff in Cape Town two weeks ago, and also named a 6-2 split of forwards to backs on the bench. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is back starting at flyhalf, Warrick Gelant and Evan Roos have returned after being rested, and a number of changes have been made to the pack. Manie Libbok and Herschel Jantjies will provide the backline cover on the bench, while a front five of Vernon Matongo, Joseph Dweba, Sazi Sandi, JD Schickerling, Connor Evans, along with loose forward Louw Nel will look to explode off the bench in the second half. Confident plan Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson is confident of the plan they have put in place for the match, and even though the 6-2 split has cost them in past seasons, he believes it will assist them against Glasgow. '(In the past) it has come back to bite us. But this season it has worked more than it has failed. It's going to be a tight game and we have two Springbok backs (Libbok and Jantjies) on the bench,' explained Dobson. 'Manie can cover 10 and 15, Sacha can cover pretty much the whole backline, Dan (du Plessis) can move to 13, Suleiman (Hartzenberg) can move to wing. So in a game like this I didn't really want to have an (extra) back as a reserve. 'But if we finish that game with Louw Nel covering whoever is tiring of the loose forwards, and Conner and JD Schickerling covering lock. Then we have Joseph Dweba, Vernon Matongo and Sazi Sandi in the front row. I think that is a massive impact for our pack. 'So that's our plan, to bring that impact. Because the 4G (pitch) does require a lot of running and the pack is most likely to tire. If we didn't have that multiskilled covering in the backline a 5-3 split would definitely be less risky.' Glasgow losing streak The Stormer have lost their last four straight games against Glasgow Warriors, and have been poor travellers in the URC, but with them currently on a four game winning run, and having won six of their last seven matches, Dobson is extremely confident heading into the tough clash. 'Our away record has been poor and it's not something you would expect from the Stormers. Historically, way before my time, the Stormers travelled well. So we haven't done as well as we would have liked (on the road),' said Dobson. 'But I haven't felt the mood in the camp (away from home) like this for a long time. It has been building over the last few weeks. There is a real sense of joy, excitement and confidence. It feels very different to last year where we felt we were on the back foot for a couple of reasons. 'This year it is real, genuine excitement for this game. We are optimistic and we would feel very disappointed if we don't get over the line, because we have a really good feeling about this game.'
The Citizen
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Grobbelaar eyes domestic success as route into Bok line-up after camp exclusion
Johan Grobbelaar missed the latest Springbok alignment camp along with other top hookers Joseph Dweba and André-Hugo Venter, who all featured in March. Johan Grobbelaar in action for the Springboks against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 23 November 2024. Picture:As the search for a third-choice Springbok hooker widened with the inclusion of Wales-based Marnus van der Merwe in this month's Springbok alignment camp, and Jan-Hendrik Wessels' explosive form, Johan Grobbelaar has kept his mind on club rugby. He sees it as his avenue back into the Springbok line-up while ignoring what could be interpreted as a snub at the camp. The 27-year-old specialist hooker was once seen as the likely understudy to the increasingly injury-hit Malcolm Marx, 30, and the ageing Bongi Mbonambi, 33, particularly with an eye on the 2027 Rugby World Cup. He only has three Test caps, though they came last season (against Australia, Portugal and Wales), and was among the 56 domestic players featuring in 2025's first Bok camp in March. Joseph Dweba and André-Hugo Venter are also in the running for the hooker position and likewise missed the May camp after featuring two months earlier. Grobbelaar focuses on his game While some have seen the omission of certain players as a rejection, Bok boss Rassie Erasmus has always said exclusion does not mean players have fallen out of favour. Instead, their chances of selection for the Springboks are as strong as they were before. When asked about it all on the eve of the alignment camp's player announcement, Grobbelaar turned attention to the domestic season, saying he was happy with his form. The hooker has secured five tries and contributed to the Bulls' forward pack dominance this season. 'All focus is with the Bulls and I want to play my best rugby for the club,' he said. 'We get through the play-offs and then the final – we tick those boxes then selectors will see you. It's important to give yourself the best chance of being selected for that squad as well.' Bulls set to go all the way in the URC The Bulls have been the most consistent South African team in the United Rugby Championship, twice reaching the final and once the quarter-final. They have made mention of their desire to go all the way this time, first needing to beat Edinburgh in the quarter-final at Loftus next weekend. Victory there gives them a home semi-final against the winner between the Sharks and Munster on 7 June. The final will either be played at Loftus or if it's against Leinster, away at Aviva Stadium. The Bulls are on a four-game winning streak and finished the league phase of the URC with their most number of points (68) and most wins (14).
BBC News
18-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Exeter sign South African front row Dweba
Exeter Chiefs have signed South African front row Joseph Dweba for the upcoming 2025-26 29-year-old who plays as hooker most recently played for South African side DHL Stormers where he has been since 2022."I'm looking forward to becoming an Exeter Chief," Dweba said. "I signed for the club because I believe it gives me the chance to be a part of something special that is about to happen in the coming seasons."Dweba has six senior caps for the Springboks and previously played two years in France with the Bordeaux Begles."We're absolutely delighted to have completed the signing of Joseph for Exeter Chiefs on a long-term contract," director of rugby Rob Baxter said. "We really feel he is a player who will add a lot to the team, both at set piece and in his work around the field."He's a proven international and a proven high level rugby player. I think he's one of those guys who can really become a fan-favourite here. He's got a great personality, a bit of a larger-than-life type character."I think the quality of his play, the pivotal role he plays and his presence around the club will all be hugely positive for us. I really see him as a player who has got a large amount of experience while still having a lot of rugby left in him."
