Player Ratings: Outclassed

OPINION: The Stormers put up a good fight in the opening 25 minutes of their game against the British and Irish Lions before the difference in class began to show.

The Lions ran in seven unanswered tries on their way to a convincing 49-3 win at Cape Town Stadium.

Here are the player ratings:

15 Sergeal Petersen
He carried the ball more than anyone else in his team and he troubled the B&I Lions’ defence on a few occasions. However, his option taking on attack and his distribution let his team down and he conceded quite a few turnovers.
6/10

14 Leolin Zas
He hardly got the ball out wide, and he gave away plenty of space to B&I Lions’ attackers out wide. He could have looked for more work on his inside.
4/10

13 Juan de Jongh
He had a couple of good runs in the first half, but his defensive game was exposed out wide as the game went on. He seemed to have lost some pace as well.
5/10

12 Dan du Plessis
Sometimes it seemed he was playing the game in slow motion. His running lines in the midfield was predictable and he missed a few tackles as well.
4/10

11 Edwill van der Merwe
He started well by beating two defenders with his first run. He kept the pressure on the Lions’ back three when he competed for high balls. However, opportunities with ball in hand were limited.
5.5/10

10 Tim Swiel
He was certainly solid with his defensive game, but very predicable on attack. It was also a mixed bag with his kicking game. He was replaced by Abner van Reenen early in the second half.
5/10

9 Godlen Masimla
There were several moments when it seemed he lacked concentration from the back of the ruck. He was predictable with his distribution and his box kicks were the main feature of his performance.
5/10

8 Evan Roos
He was a colossus for the Stormers in open play, especially in the first half. The British and Irish Lions found it hard to bring him down when he ran at them and he tackled well when he needed to.
7/10

7 Johan du Toit
He constantly looked for work and he got the Stormers over the gain-line on a few occasions with some strong carries. He was one of his team’s best defenders out there.
7/10

6 Nama Xaba
It was a good defensive performance from the loose forward. However, he did let Luke Cowan-Dickie through for a try after a maul. He was also easily stopped in his tracks when he had ball in hand.
5.5/10

5 JD Schickerling
A towering figure in the line-outs and one of the Stormers’ main ball carriers. However, the B&I Lions managed his physicality well in open play.
6/10

4 Ernst van Rhyn (captain)
He led from the front with some aggressive tackles in the opening quarter, but he was also guilty of missing a couple of tackles in key areas of the field later in the game. He brought the physicality with his carries, but it did not materialise in meters gained
6/10

3 Neethling Fouche
He had a good first half. He put in a big hit on Tadhg Beirne in the 11th minute, which resulted in a turnover he had some powerful carries as well and he was solid in the scrums. However, he did give away a couple of penalties and he lacked energy in the second half.
6.5/10

2 JJ Kotze
Other than a hiccup or two, his line-out throwing was good. He did not add much to the Stormers’ game in open play. He did put in a few good hits on defence.
5/10

1 Leon Lyons
A solid performance in the scrums and he was physical when it came to the defensive side of things. It was an ok performance against some tough opponents.
5.5/10

Replacements:

16 Andre-Hugo Venter
He was solid in the set-pieces, but he didn’t really make much of an impact in open play.
5/10

17 Dian Bleuler
Not enough time to be rated.

18 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko
Not enough time to be rated.

19 Justin Basson
Not enough time to be rated.

20 Marcel Theunissen
He showed what a good defender he is in the final quarter.
5/10

21 Thomas Bursey
The scrumhalf brought something different and he tried to speed up the game with little success.
5/10

22 Abner van Reenen
Like Swiel, he struggled to unlock the B&I Lions defence out wide and his option-taking needs work.
5/10

23 Cornel Smit
Not enough time to be rated.