Stormers are eager to make most of rare Cape Town start

That they are playing the reigning champions in their first Vodacom United Rugby Championship game of the season only adds to the significance for the DHL Stormers of what for them is a rare thing indeed - playing their first game of the season at their spiritual home, the DHL Stadium.

The Stormers have had a home start just once in the four seasons that the cross hemisphere competition has been played. But that game against Connacht, in their second season, was not in Cape Town but at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch. Their first games have been in Ireland in the first season against Munster, in Johannesburg against the Emirates Lions in 2023/2024, and 12 months ago, they started out the 2024-25 campaign in Wales against the Ospreys.

The season before last they came home for their second game after opening with a narrow win in Johannesburg, but that game against Scarlets was also played not at the DHL Stadium but 60 kilometres away in Stellenbosch. The Stormers always make polite noises about playing in Stellenbosch when they do play at the alternative venue because of clashes with events at the Greenpoint venue, but the reality is that the DHL Stadium is where they get the most voluminous support and it is there that they have set up their fortress.

Last season, they were initially slated to start the season with a big derby game against the Vodacom Bulls, but that was changed, much to the chagrin of both the Stormers and Bulls coaches, because of a clash with the Carling Currie Cup final. Which was why they opened with their first tour game.

HAVE ALWAYS TOURED EARLY

The Stormers have always toured early and they will do so again as they are off overseas after next week’s second Cape Town game against the Ospreys, and it might explain why there has yet to be a URC campaign where they haven’t made a slow start. Even in the two years where they played consecutive finals at the DHL Stadium, they had to come back from tardy starts that saw them having lots of ground to make up.

So while it is tough to open against the champions, the Stormers do have reason to feel they have an opportunity to create a better platform this year, with the Cape franchise expecting their Springboks to be back in tow by the time they start their three-match overseas tour the week after the conclusion of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.

“The challenge of playing Leinster at home first up is a great one and one we are really looking forward to,” said Stormers wing Seabelo Senatla in an online press conference on Monday.

“We haven’t started at home for a couple of years and we have become known as a team that makes slow starts in the competition.. But it helps to be starting out in front of our faithful supporters and it is a great challenge to be playing Leinster in the first round. If we can do well in this game, we know we will have set the standard for the season ahead.”

Playing a top team early can be an advantage in the sense that a first game often means there is rust on both sides, and that can mean a levelling of the playing field. Plus, on this occasion, Leinster will be without their many British and Irish Lions players, who will play their first games in the third round when the Irish province hosts the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Dublin.


NIENABER MAKES LEINSTER STRONGER

That does not mean that the Stormers will be underestimating the challenge of playing a team that is invariably strong, regardless of which players are available to play for them. And Stormers attack coach knows his men will have their work cut out breaking down a defensive system mentored by former Stormers defence coach and Bok World Cup winning coach Jacques Nienaber.

“For both teams it will be the first game out so there will be rust and neither of us will hit full flow. We’ve got to get back into the full contact scenarios, but we are expecting a really tough contest and it is nice to start out against a team like Leinster,” said Snyman.

“But we are under no illusions about the challenge that awaits us. Leinster are a well-oiled machine and they have always been known for their ability to take the ball through lots of phases. With Jacques there, they have been improving their defenc,e so we know there are no weaknesses in that team. We know that all our cylinders need to be firing if we want to win.”

Regular captain Salmaan Moerat is still out injured and won’t be back until the tour so an alternative skipper will be announced with the rest of the team on Thursday, but Nienaber reckons there is enough leadership within the team for the identity of the man wearing the armband not to be an issue.

The 25/26 @Vodacom #URC season is here! See you under the lights at DHL Stadium on Friday night.

🎟️ Tickets here https://t.co/KSlJ2J6RRE#STOvLEI #inittogether pic.twitter.com/MF7ROkxcGd

— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) September 22, 2025

GRIQUAS STARS TO JOIN AFTER THEIR CELEBRATIONS

The Stormers are set to be joined by Suzuki Griquas Currie Cup winners Dylan Maart and Gershwin Weir on loan, with winger Maart a particularly exciting prospect, but the Stormers aren’t sure when they will be arriving.

“We are wondering when they will get here, but understandably, they are currently out celebrating Griquas’ fine win,” said the Stormers assistant coach.

The Stormers have a twinning agreement with Griquas, so the coaches and players at the franchise would have been pleased to see the Kimberley team win the domestic trophy in such dramatic fashion at the weekend.