Four Stormers players who'll be keen to make a statement against the All Blacks

OPINION: History will be made regardless of what happens in the Stormers’ first-ever match against the All Blacks at Cape Town Stadium.

New Zealand will kick off their tour of South Africa for the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in Cape Town on Friday before heading to Durban to take on the Sharks on August 11 and the Bulls on August 15 in Pretoria.

*Also read: Stormers v New Zealand – Teams and Prediction

The first Test against the Springboks will go down at Ellis Park on August 22, with the Lions getting their run-out against Dave Rennie’s team on August 25.

With the Cape side kicking off the blockbuster series, we look at four Stormers players who will be out to make a statement against the All Blacks.

The Emerging Bok: Yaqeen Ahmed

The 20-year-old was key in the Junior Boks’ Junior World Championship title defence in Tbilisi as he produced performances soaked in class, maturity, calm, game management and tactical savvy, and ample other demonstrations of just why he was described as “the future” by the All Black great Beauden Barrett.

Ahmed will go head-to-head with Barrett in a mouthwatering contest, and the ultimate test of that composure and maturity will come in his senior debut for the Stormers starting at flyhalf against the All Blacks. It doesn’t get any bigger than that.

His abilities don’t need to be tested, though, it’s clear for all to see. And seeing one of New Zealand’s finest go up against yet another exciting product of South Africa’s ever-producing flyhalf factory will be one of the moments of the season.

The Snubbed Boks: Ntuthuko Mchunu and Evan Roos

They may not be playing against the All Blacks in the colours they would have wanted to, but there is no bigger opportunity for a franchise player than this.

The Stormers duo both had a go in the Springboks’ Nations Championship Test against Scotland, with Roos starting at No.8 and Mchunu featuring off the bench.

Following the conclusion of the Southern Hemisphere leg of the new biennial tournament, Mchunu and Roos were two of five players released to their franchises.

Mchunu built on his three sparse Test caps in Pretoria after producing a United Rugby Championship campaign that was impossible to ignore.

He was one of the top performers for John Dobson’s crew as he was the epitome of the modern prop, consistently racking up 192 metres with ball in hand, beating 22 defenders, scoring six tries, and adding two try assists.

Those are impressive numbers for a front-rower, but no stat captures his mobility more than the one that states he has beaten more defenders than any other prop in the URC.

He has been one of the Stormers’ most entertaining players with his thunderous runs and deceptive pace, and while his outing off the bench against Scotland wasn’t the best highlights reel of his abilities, there were glimpses of what makes him such a valuable player.

Roos was another standout in the URC, boasting 640 metres, more than any other No.8 in the competition, while he was also the top try-scorer in the competition.

He also beat 40 defenders – ranking among the top players in that department.

He shone on defence, totalling 168 tackles across the competition for a rate of 12 per game.

His error rate has been the only taint in his game, but his work rate, destructive ball-carrying, explosiveness, attacking ability, and built-in try-line navigation make him worth the risk.

They were part of the Bok group and dropped ahead of what is guaranteed to be an epic series…do they need any more reason than that to want to play their hearts out and show they belong in the world champion squad?

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The Forgotten Bok: Warrick Gelant

When he’s at his best, the fullback is a pay-per-view worthy performer, the ultimate attacking catalyst and menace to opposition defences with fancy footwork to boot. But that devastating attacking ability hasn’t been on full display in recent months, especially not in the URC.

The 31-year-old has 11 Test caps but has not featured for the Boks since 2022.

In June, he ran out for the Barbarians against the Boks in a non-cap match at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, which the South Africans won 80-31.

There were moments in that game that sent reminders of his attacking zest, but he struggled under the high ball, conceded possession a couple of times, and missed a few tackles.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Gelant at his best, and can there be a better time to return to form than in a historic match against New Zealand?