Latest news with #Stormers'
IOL News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Cameron Hanekom shines in URC awards as South African players dominate Elite XV Team of the Season
The accolades keep rolling in for Bulls No 8, Cameron Hanekom, after a brilliant season. He was named in the URC Elite XV on Wednesday and scooped the Next-Gen Player award. Image: BackpagePix South African players continue to dominate this season's United Rugby Championship (URC) awards with no less than seven named in the URC Team of the Season on Wednesday. Bulls No 8 Cameron Hanekom, also named as Next-Gen Player of the Season, alongside teammates props Wilco Louw and Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Stormers' flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and the Sharks' Andre Esterhuizen made it into the Elite XV of the tournament. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The Bulls, playing in a consecutive semi-final on Saturday, and Munster lead the race with three players each in the side, while Leinster and the Scarlets follow with two. Double World Cup-winning Springbok, RG Snyman, is one of the Leinster players, and Bok hopeful, hooker Marnus van der Merwe, represents the Scarlets. Hanekom, nominated for the SA URC Player of the Season award as well, has set the rugby field alight since his breakthrough last season and continued his fine form for the Bulls, despite some niggling injuries. Louw, nominated as SA URC Player of the Season, and Wessels have been the chief destroyers in the scrum for the Bulls. Feinberg-Mngomezulu was a fresh breeze in the competition and has entertained supporters in the Stormers' flyhalf jersey after taking over from the injured Manie Libbok. While an injury also impacted a part of his season, Esterhuizen has been a consistent performer in the backline of the Sharks throughout the season. With two awards behind his name, Hanekom will look to make it a third for the vital SA Player when he goes up against Louw and Feinberg-Mngomezulu for it. Another Stormers star of the past season received a URC accolade with lock Ruben van Heerden named as the Tackle Machine award winner. This award is given to the player who boasts the best tackle success rate among those who have attempted 150 or more tackles over the course of the season. ⚡️ @TheStormers' Ruben van Heerden was tackling anything that moved this season 💥 1️⃣7️⃣1️⃣ Tackles 9️⃣7️⃣.7️⃣% Accuracy#URC | #URCAwards — Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) June 3, 2025
The South African
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Stormers star banned for playoff matches
This past weekend, the Stormers' qualification for the URC playoffs was somewhat offset by the red card dished out to Damian Willemse, who was sent from the field for a high hit on Cardiff winger Gabe Hamer-Webb. It has now been confirmed that Willemse has been banned for three games. However, should the Springbok utility back complete the World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme – which he almost certainly will – then the sanction will be reduced by one week. It means Willemse will miss the upcoming quarter-final against the Glasgow Warriors, and if the Cape side progresses, he will also not be available for the semi-final. In the player's responses to the Judicial Officer overseeing the disciplinary process (Jennifer Donovan), he had accepted that he had committed an act of foul play which warranted a red card. Donovan found that the incident met thered card threshold, with entry of mid-range warranting six weeks. Willemse received three weeks (50%) mitigation due to his good record, which results in a three game suspension. Fixtures Damian Willemse is unavailable for: Glasgow Warriors Stormers, Friday May 30, URC Quarter-Final *The remaining two fixtures to which this sanction will apply shall be determined based on the progress of the Stormers Considering how strict the officiating has become when it comes to these sorts of infringements, the Cape franchise were anticipating that the 27-year-old could face a ban. 'I haven't seen it enough to comment on what the impact is,' Stormers coach John Dobson said immediately after the game. 'He was stuck. I don't think he was trying to hit with the shoulder… I think he was trying to turn. 'The implications, I'm sure, are going to be poor for us. I've got no doubt. We can't appeal until there is a decision. I don't see them overturning that. It's a disaster for us.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Willemse misses Stormers play-off, maybe a Bok game too…
Damian Willemse's three game ban, reduced to two should he attend tackle school, has thrown the Stormers' title hopes in the air. Damian Willemse has received a ban that could see him out of action for the rest of the Stormers URC campaign, and possibly miss a game for the Springboks as well. The 27-year-old utility back was given a red card for a high hit against Cardiff's Gabriel Hamer-Webb in their match at Cape Town Stadium last weekend. Willemse pleaded guilty to the foul play, and after a few suspense-filled days, the verdict was given. He received a six-match ban that was reduced by half, with another match removed if Willemse attends tackle school. Assuming he attends tackle school – and most players do – Willemse cuts the ban down to two games. Stormers lose their 'treasure' He will miss the Stormers' United Rugby Championship quarter-final against Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium next week Friday. Should the Stormers win that game, Willemse will miss the semi-final against the winner of the game between Leinster and Scarlets, and be back in time for the final of the tournament. Should the Stormers not progress to the semi-final, Willemse will still be unavailable for the Springboks' game against the Barbarians in Cape Town on 8 June. While waiting to hear how long the ban would last, Stormers director of rugby John Dobson said it was a 'disaster' for the team and would sorely affect their campaign for the title. The coach said they would consider an appeal depending on the outcome. 'The implications, I'm sure, are going to be poor for us. I've got no doubt. We can't appeal until there is a decision. I don't see them overturning that. It's a disaster for us,' he said at the time. ALSO READ: Mapimpi banned for three games after making contact with opponent's eye Willemse the reason Moerat wanted to be a Springbok The Springbok star made his 100th cap for the Stormers this month. In doing so, he was hailed by teammates and coaches as not just one of the best players in the side, but one of the best Western Province has ever produced and one of the best in the world. 'We know what we've got in Damian Willemse, I'm not sure the world does,' Dobson said. 'This is a generational player… Other than the flash and that, he's the most professional guy, the guy doing the most time in the huddle.' Dobson called Willemse 'just a treasure' when describing his professionalism and qualities as a person off the field. Stormers captain Salmaan Moerat said Willemse was 'the reason I wanted to be a Springbok and work harder'. 'He has really changed the perspective around coloured rugby players. He will be one of the greatest coloured rugby players, if not one of the greatest rugby players to have played the game.'
The Citizen
17-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Stormers coach: Damian Willemse's red is a disaster
John Dobson says the Stormers face a challenge in the Vodacom URC play-offs following a red card for star playmaker Damian Willemse in last night's win against Cardiff. The head coach was addressing the media after the Stormers secured fifth place on the log with a 34-24 bonus-point victory at Cape Town Stadium. The match featured two red cards: Willemse's dismissal for a high hit on Cardiff winger Gabe Hamer-Webb and Danny Southworth for a dangerous tackle on Stormers prop Neethling Fouche . While pleased with the performance, Dobson acknowledged the potential impact of Willemse's dismissal on the Cape outfit's play-off campaign. 'I haven't seen it enough to comment on what the impact is,' said Dobson of the Willemse high hit. 'He was stuck. I don't think he was trying to hit with the shoulder… I think he was trying to turn. 'The implications, I'm sure, are going to be poor for us. I've got no doubt. We can't appeal until there is a decision. I don't see them overturning that. It's a disaster for us.' Also read: Stormers lash Cardiff to lock in fifth Despite this setback, Dobson praised his team's performance against a spirited Cardiff outfit. Wingers Suleiman Hartzenberg and Leolin Zas each scored a brace of tries as the Stormers converted a 19-12 half-time advantage into a convincing win, though Cardiff fought until the final whistle. 'As good as they were, and they fought and they were organised and never really went away, I don't think we ever really looked like losing. That's a good performance given the changes,' he said. Despite playing with 14 men, the Stormers' attack proved too potent for the Welsh visitors. 'It's nice that we've played four teams with really good attacks over the last four weeks. It's a good play-off test,' Dobson said. 'The whole thing today was to keep our momentum, protect some players and say goodbye to some guys who won't play another home game. I think we got all that right.' The Stormers now await today's results to determine whether they'll face the Sharks in Durban or travel to Scotland to battle defending champions Glasgow Warriors. 'I was absolutely equivocal that we wanted to go to Durban, and now I think we're quite relaxed. This team will play whoever,' Dobson said, open to whatever challenge materialises. 'Obviously our goal was to host a quarter-final, so that's a disappointment. I think we're good enough to be in the top four despite our budget, and that's got to be our goal for next season.' The post Dobson: Damian's red is a disaster appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
IOL News
17-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Stormers face uncertainty ahead of URC playoffs after Damian Willemse's red card
Utility back Damian Willemse put in a near-perfect performance for the Stormers on Friday evening against Cardiff until he received a red card for a head-high tackle in the second half. Image: BackpagePix It is a disaster. That is how John Dobson, the Stormers' director of rugby, labelled the red card Damian Willemse received in Friday's victory over Cardiff in the United Rugby Championship (URC) in Cape Town. While the home side won 34-24 after a try in the final 10 minutes of the duel, they paid a heavy price, with Willemse now on a path to missing the quarter-finals after his head-high tackle in the build-up to a try. Willemse and winger Leolin Zas tackled a Cardiff player, with the fullback coming in as the secondary defender. However, he was upright and made contact with the head of the ball carrier, leaving the referee no choice but to issue a red card. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ His fate will now be in the hands of a disciplinary hearing, and a straight red card normally means a couple of weeks on the sidelines and a trip to World Rugby's tackle school. It's the same fate prop Neethling Fouché had a couple of weeks ago. He missed three games. That could mean that Willemse's season might be over if he receives a ban. But the fact that he was a secondary tackler could save his skin. Dobson said they will now have to wait to hear what his fate will be, but he knows it could be a real setback for the side. 'We will mount our best defence (for Damian),' Dobson said. I am a bit sick about Damian Willemse!! — Rágnár Ván Töndérsön (@Slipcatch) May 16, 2025 'I haven't seen enough to comment on what the impact of Zassie's (Zas) tackle was. I don't know if it's enough. It was our fault. Gaza (Willemse) was not released by Zas (on defence) on the inside, and he was stuck, then he turned. I don't think he tried to hit him with the shoulder. 'The implications will be poor for us, I am sure. We can't appeal anything yet until there is a decision. We will decide if we wait for them to give us a ruling or if we will go straight to a judicial officer. If we go straight, we will have more chances for a 'better' sanction. 'It sounds like it's a grey area. But it's a disaster for us.' On the match itself, Dobson said they had more or less the ideal game other than the red card. The Stormers scored five tries, with the mercurial Manie Libbok at the helm of a few in his return match, and will be happy with how they ended off the round-robin stages. Wingers Leolin Zas and Suleiman Hartzenberg, playing in his 50th match, both scored two tries. Some fringe players also got some valuable game time ahead of the playoffs, and they greeted guys who are leaving the franchise at the end of the season with a good final home victory. Now the wait is on to see who they will face in the quarters. A trip to Glasgow or Durban is on the cards to face the Warriors or the Sharks. That picture will only become clear late on Saturday evening. 'We picked up no injuries and that is brilliant. Once we scored the four tries, we were in fifth place (on the log). Cardiff had to win to stay alive and that's probably why they are not here (at the press conference). 'To be fair to us and as good as they were, because they fought and were organised and never went away. But, we never looked like losing and it was a good performance given the changes.'
