Keo URC Boks Weekly Form Team – Round 16

Not one Sharks player makes the Keo URC Boks Weekly Form Team but there are plenty of Lions and Stormers.

Super Stormers

The Stormers crushing 48-12 win against Glasgow Warriors in Cape Town took them to first place in the URC league.

Lethal Lions

The Lions, in beating Connacht 33-21, are in third place and the Bulls kept pace in the Race to Eight with a last minute penalty win against the Scarlets in Wales.

The Sharks lost against Edinburgh in Edinburgh and cannot make the play-offs.

The Lions complete their URC league matches in Ireland against Leinster and Munster and the Stormers play against Ulster in Belfast and Cardiff in Wales. The Bulls are at home to the Italian clubs Zebre and Benetton. Ditto the Sharks.

The URC will resume next weekend, as this weekend is the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals, where Bordeaux host Johann van Graan’s Bath and Jacques Nienaber’s Leinster are at home to Toulon in Dublin.

In the URC, the Stormers made a league statement and the Lions continued to create their own URC history with most wins in succession, most points in a season and most wins in a league season. Their third place is also a club high for this stage of the league. They have never made the Top Eight Play-offs before.

The Bulls had to win to keep pace with the play-off group and possibly push for a top four place and a home quarter-final.

Handre Pollard was polished and precise off the kicking tee and won it with a last minute penalty. He scored 18 of the Bulls 23 points in their 23-21 win.

In his Sunday Times match review, Keo lauded Evan Roos for his outstanding performance. There was equal praise for the Lions fullback Quan Horn, among others.

Roos was colossal. Stormers and Springboks No 8 Roos scored a try, bringing his league season tally to 11, but his all-round contribution made the real statement. He led the match with carries on both sides (13) and with tackles (18).

Roos’s statistical return is easy on the eye, but limiting his impact to a spreadsheet would be a disservice. He has consistently been South Africa’s best No 8 in the URC in what has been his most mature season.

Stormers locks Adré Smith and Ruben van Heerden were powerful and busy and loosehead prop Ntuthuko Mchunu scored two of the most popular tries.

Individuals will always command a presence in the storytelling of a review, and Stormers halfbacks Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu had outstanding afternoons, individually and as a combination.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu celebrated his 50^th Stormers match with 23 points from six conversions, two penalties and a try. He also had a few try-assists and led the Stormers backs for carries.

The Stormers scrum was powerful and their lineout maul was dominant. As captain, Ruan Nel ensured discipline around a game plan template built on playing in the right areas, maximising the strength of their set piece and turning transitions into terrific tries.

Paul de Villiers, in the No 6 jersey, won three turnovers and slowed down double the amount at the breakdown, and the Stormers played like a team capable of winning the title.

The Lions, who had scored 150 points in their last three matches against overseas opponents at Ellis Park, scored the first of five tries within five minutes en-route to a 33-21 victory.

They led 21-0 at halftime and 33-7 with only three minutes remaining.

Ruan Venter (lock), Henco van Wyk (outside centre) and Quan Horn (fullback) were again among the individual standouts.

Seven of Round 15’s Form Team made Round 16’s Form Team.

The Lions utility forward (Ruan) Venter has proved massive playing both No 7 flank and No 4 lock.

Keo URC Boks Weekly Form Team – ROUND 16

15. Quan Horn (Lions)

14. Angelo Davids (Lions) *

13. Henco van Wyk (Lions) *

12. Harold Vorster (Bulls) *

11. Erich Cronje (Lions) *

10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers)

9. Cobus Reinach (Stormers)

8. Evan Roos (Stormers)

7. Elrigh Louw (Bulls)

6. Paul de Villiers (Stormers)

5. Ruben van Heerden (Stormers) *

4. Ruan Venter (Lions)

3. Neethling Fouche (Stormers)

2. Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls)

1. Ntuthuko Mchunu (Stormers)

*Uncapped

**Also made Round 15 URC Form Team

SELECTION OPTIONS FROM ROUND 16 SA SQUADS

SHARKS – 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 André Esterhuizen (c), 12 Siya Masuku, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Jean Smith, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Phatu Ganyane.
Bench: 16 Eduan Swart, 17 Ox Nché, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Corné Rahl, 20 Nicholas Hatton, 21 Siya Kolisi, 22 Bradley Davids, 23 Marnus Potgieter.

STORMERS – 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Wandisile Simelane, 13 Ruhan Nel (c), 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Bench: 16 JJ Kotzé, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Marcel Theunissen, 20 Keke Morabe, 21 Imad Khan, 22 Jurie Matthee, 23 Markus Muller.

LIONS – 15 Quan Horn, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Erich Cronjé, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (c), 7 Batho Hlekani, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Ruan Venter, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze.
Bench: 16 Morné Brandon, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Sebastian Lombard, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Siba Qoma, 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Nico Steyn, 23 Kelly Mpeku.

BULLS – 15 David Kriel, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marcell Coetzee (c), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Bench: 16 Marco van Staden, 17 Jan Hendrik Wessels, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Mpilo Gumede, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Willie le Roux, 23 Jeandré Rudolph.