The Stormers lineout is yielding plenty of success in the URC and it will be one of the weapons they turn to when they face the Sharks in the first coastal derby on Saturday in Cape Town. Saturday will mark the first of back-to-back coastal derbies in the United Rugby Championship (URC) between the Stormers and Sharks, with Cape Town hosting the opening duel. For the Stormers, the challenge at the DHL Stadium (7.30pm kick-off) is clear: strike early, dominate the big plays and lay down a marker for the rest of the clash as they look to maintain their unbeaten home run against a hungry Sharks.
We look at five key areas the Cape side will be targeting as they look to gain the upper hand to make it a ninth victory in the competition. The anticipation will build for the first scrum of the game, and how quickly the Stormers can establish some domination up front will be critical. The Sharks left Ox Nché on the bench, and the tightheads of the Cape side will be licking their lips at the prospect of giving young loosehead prop Phatu Ganyane a proper Mother City welcome.
A foothold in the scrums could provide plenty of quality ball for the backline that is yet to produce a proper attacking display in 2026. That could all depend on how the forwards fare in the scrums and if they can put the Sharks under pressure. The Stormers’ statistics on tackles completed don’t make for good reading.
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According to the official URC stats, they have a 79% tackle completion rate. They’ve kept two sides scoreless in the tournament and have only conceded just over 10 tries in the last nine games. That shows their scramble defence is excellent.
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