The Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch hosted a Stormers fixture for the first time on 13 March.
This is according to Kimara Singh, a representative of Maties Sport, who explained that the Stormers’ home ground, the DHL Stadium in Green Point, was unavailable on the day of this match.
“There was a clash with the Cape Town Cycle Tour which [finished] close to DHL Stadium with a number of roads closed in the area,” according to Stormers coach John Dobson in written correspondence with MatieMedia. The Stormers left Stellenbosch as victors in the United Rugby Championship clash with a final score of 55-7 against Italian side Zebre Parma.
In their recent match against Zebre Parma, the Stormers scored nine tries in total, with three from Seabelo Senatla, a brace each for Scarra Ntubeni and Leolin Zas, and a try apiece for Manie Libbok and Damian Willemse. Italian side Zebre Parma managed one try, which was scored by Erich Cronjé early in the second half. PHOTO: William Brederode
“Stellenbosch is fantastic; it just oozes rugby when you arrive here,” said Dobson at a press conference after the match.
The contest
The Stormers secured the bonus point in the 23rd minute of the match with their fourth try coming from Stormers wing Seabelo Senatla. Senatla scored three of the Stormers’ nine tries, which made him the man-of-the-match.
Despite the triumphant performance, Dobson identified areas for improvement. “I thought in the first half we allowed ourselves to get a little bit seduced by the style of rugby and made a couple of mistakes,” stated Dobson. He added that discipline at the defensive breakdown could have been better.
Stormers fans waved their flags in celebration at the Danie Craven Stadium on 13 March. “Rugby has to be quite compelling for people to come back into the stadium, both from a health point of view and people have moved on with their lives,” said Stormers coach John Dobson in a press conference after the game. PHOTO: William Brederode
Stormers captain Deon Fourie expressed his hope that “the guys don’t look at the score today and think they can rest on their laurels for the game against Cardiff [Rugby]”. The game against Cardiff will be played on 20 March.
Cheering again
A total of 2 000 spectators were allowed into the Danie Craven Stadium for the match. They were required to present a vaccination certificate, wear a medical mask and sanitise their hands to be admitted into the stadium, according to written correspondence from Dobson.
“It was probably one of the best games I have ever watched. What made it special was the fact it was in Stellenbosch,” said Sammy Jantjies, father of Herschel Jantjies, Stormers scrum-half and Springbok player.
Sammy explained how special it was to watch his son play at a stadium close to Kylemore, where Herschel grew up, and where he was a ball boy in 2010/11.
This match on 13 March was self-proclaimed Stormers super-fans Riëtte and Kobus Koegelenberg’s 204th consecutive Stormers or Western Province game. They stated that they enjoyed the trip to Stellenbosch. Despite this, Kobus said that he missed the Stormers’ old home at Newlands, which the team moved away from in 2019. “It was the best stadium in the world,” he said.
Self-proclaimed Stormers super-fans Riëtte and Kobus Koegelenberg display their matching Stormers/Western Province tattoos. The couple said that the game on 13 March was the 204th consecutive Stormers or Western Province match that they had been to. They added that they enjoyed the game at the Danie Craven Stadium despite missing the Stormers’ old home at Newlands. PHOTO: WIlliam Brederode