Kavaliers outplay Stormers XXIII in season warm-up

In a pulsating pre-season Carling Currie Cup warm-up, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers outplayed the DHL Stormers XXIII 54-26 on Saturday, 04 July at the Boland Rugby Stadium in Wellington.

An exciting display of hard-hitting South African rugby saw the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers run in eight tries to four against a very talented DHL Stormers XXIII side. Tries for the visitors were scored by Tiaan Fourie, Vernon Paulo, Gino Cupido, and Xola Nyali.

The home side came out firing in the opening five minutes, with Joshua Eras and Lunathi Nxele crossing the try-line, and James Tedder adding the extra points from the tee to make it 14-0.

A period of play ensued in which the visitors battled to secure their lineouts; this, along with a dominant scrum performance, allowed the Kavaliers to enjoy most of the possession in the opening half.

Despite a late first-half surge by the Stormers XXIII side, players like Jurick Lewis, Nxele, Jayden Bantom, and Sibusiso Sangweni got over the advantage with relative ease. Flyhalf Chris Smit orchestrated matters, helping the home side gain momentum heading into the break.

SA Cup try-scoring machine, Xavier Mitchell, had the final say in the first half when he gathered a well-placed Smit crosskick to dot down in the right corner.

The Sanlam Boland Kavaliers were firmly in the driving seat at 19-7 as the players headed into the break.

A return-from-injury try for replacement hooker Llewellyn Classen helped the home side to pick right up where they left off in the opening half. Classen, along with Gift Dlamini, Durin Nasson, and Keenan Opperman, made a welcoming return after lengthy injury lay-offs.

The introduction of young Thurlon Williams at flyhalf switched things up a notch; Williams was instrumental in the build-up to the following two tries.

First up, veteran lock Marlyn Williams crashed over, followed by replacement scrumhalf Bentley Geldenhuys. The latter five-pointer came as a result of the young flyhalf sidestepping his way through three would-be tackles before a well-timed inside pass to Geldenhuys, who dotted down under the crossbar.

The introduction of the replacements by head coach Hawies Fourie shifted the momentum firmly in the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers’ favour, with captain Thurlow Marsh and the speedster from Saldanha, Craig van Rensburg, rounding off a brilliant all-round performance by the home side.

Fourie was in full praise of his players after the match despite feeling that there were a few opportunities wasted, especially on attack.

“I feel it was a solid start; we spilt a lot of chances on attack, two clear tries where just needed to make one or two passes or a forward pass,” Fourie said following the 54-26 victory over DHL Stormers XXIII.

“There is a lot to work on. Our set pieces were really good; we turned over six lineouts, maul stop improved, and we had a good scrummaging session. Lots of positives for us; we will build on that.

“On defence, I felt we were not that dominant; we wouldn’t like to concede four tries in the game, especially the last two. I was not happy with that. But we will work on it and improve. At least we had a good outing, no injuries, and a lot of good stuff to build on.”

The Sanlam Boland Kavaliers will play the Suzuki Griquas in their second and final warm-up match ahead of the 2026 Carling Currie Cup campaign, on Tuesday, 7 July, in Wellington. The match kicks off at 13:00.

Scorers:
Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 54
Tries: Joshua Eras, Lunathi Nxele, Xavier Mitchell, Llewellyn Classen, Marlyn Williams, Bentley Geldenhuys, Thurlow Marsh, Craig van Rensburg Cons: James Tedder (5), Thurlon Williams (2)

DHL Stormers XXIII 26
Tries: Tiaan Fourie, Vernon Paulo, Gino Cupido, Xola Nyali Cons: Jean-Luc du Plessis, Tharquin Manuel (2).

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers: 15 James Tedder, 14 Xavier Mitchell, 13 Lunathi Nxele, 12 Jurick Lewis, 11 Jayden Bantom, 10 Chris Smit, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Thurlow Marsh (capt), 7 Sibusiso Sangweni, 6 Sauliegh Arendse, 5 Marlyn Williams, 4 Jeandré Leonard, 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Joshua Eras, 1 Dewald Maritz
Replacements: 16 Llewellyn Classen, 17 Mthokozisi Gumede, 18 Andrew Beerwinkel, 19 Michael Mutombo, 20 Gift Dlamini, 21 Bentley Geldenhuys, 22 Thurlon Williams, 23 Renaldo Young, 24 Craig van Rensburg, 25 Durin Nasson

DHL Stormers XXIII: 15 Dylan Miller, 14 Joel Leotlela, 13 Josh Boulle, 12 Cornel Smit, 11 Mfundo Ndhlovu, 10 Jean-Luc Du Plessis, 9 Tiaan Fourie, 8 Wandile Mlaba, 7 Divan Fuller, 6 Keke Morabe, 5 Dylan De Leeuw, 4 Enos Ndiao, 3 Herman Lubbe, 2 Vernon Paulo, 1 Mhleli Khuwzwayo
Replacements: 16 Matthew Beckett, 17 Luca Bakkes, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 Reuben Kruger, 20 Tom Barnard, 21 Xola Nyali, 22 Aidan Norris, 23 Alutha Wesi, 24 Adeeb Borraine, 25 Dominic Malgas, 26 Gino Cupido, 27 Kian Davis, 28 JC Mars, 29 Tharquin Manuel