The All Blacks opened their historic Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour with a hard-fought victory over the Stormers, but the visitors were given an immediate, bruising taste of South African physicality at Cape Town Stadium.
While New Zealand ultimately ran away with the result late in the second half, the scoreline belied the sheer intensity of a contest that remained firmly in the balance for the opening hour. For a Stormers side still deep in their pre-season preparations, pushing the tourists to their absolute limits served as a ringing endorsement of domestic depth.
The Cape franchise was severely disrupted by early injury blows, losing promising scrumhalf Imaad Khan inside the opening five minutes before his veteran replacement, Dewaldt Duvenage, was also forced off. Coupled with a second-half injury to centre Ruhan Nel, the Stormers were left severely stretched across their backline after opting for a 6-2 bench split.
Despite those setbacks, the host pack laid down a formidable physical marker — particularly at set-piece time — ensuring the All Blacks leave the Mother City with plenty of tactical homework ahead of their opening Test against the Springboks at Ellis Park on August 22
Here are five key takeaways from a high-octane tour opener in Cape Town:
Stormers hurt All Blacks at scrum time and with the maul
The All Blacks will need to sort out their scrum before the first Test at Ellis Park if they are to have any chance of competing against the Springboks. The Stormers’ front row, especially young loosehead Vernon Matongo, had them on toast in the first half.
While the All Blacks scored the opening try of the match following a sequence of strong mauls, it was the Stormers who truly exposed the tourists’ maul defence, crossing for a well-worked drive of their own.
All Blacks’ discipline was shocking … but they show resiliance
The All Blacks were reduced to 13 men during a period of sustained dominance by the Stormers. With the Cape side gaining territory after a string of penalties, the tourists lost two players to yellow cards following a high tackle and a cynical infringement while defending a maul on their tryline.
However, the All Blacks managed to keep the Stormers at bay with some superb scrambling defence. While that resilience will be the biggest positive for the coaching staff, they know they cannot afford to concede yellow or red cards against a clinical Springbok side.
Deon Fourie defies his age with virtuoso performance
Deon Fourie’s previous match against the All Blacks came in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, where he played 77 minutes at hooker with a severely damaged shoulder. The 30 months since have proved a nightmare for the veteran, spending far more time in rehabilitation than on the pitch.
On Friday night, however, the 39-year-old flanker — who turns 40 next month — rolled back the years with a massive display in the Stormers pack. He tackled relentlessly, won crucial turnovers, and produced a roaring carry that brought the supporters to their feet. Someone, buy the man, who is nicknamed ‘Brannas’, a brandy or two when you see him this weekend.
Stormers derailed by backline injury crisis
The final score failed to reflect the Stormers’ monumental effort, as they remained firmly in the contest until the hour mark before they lost backup scrumhalf Duvenage to injury. The Cape side had already lost starter Imaad Khan inside the first five minutes to a knee injury.
It was always going to be a big ask for the 38-year-old Duvenage to play out the match, having largely transitioned into a coaching role. With Ruhan Nel also forced off, the home side was left facing a massive backline reshuffle after committing to a 6-2 forwards-to-backs bench split before the start of the match.
Physicality test provides vital wake-up call for All Blacks
New Zealand’s emerging talents no longer get the opportunity to test themselves against South African franchises on a weekly basis, and Friday night’s encounter served as an eye-opening introduction to that unique brand of physicality in the Republic.
The contest proved a sharp shock to the system, particularly given the Stormers are still in their pre-season build-up. However, it provides the ideal platform to get the tourists battle-hardened ahead of much stiffer assignments to come against the ultimate physical test: the Springboks.
