Stormers v Munster: Tale of the tape
STAT ATTACK: The Stormers host Munster in the Final of the 2023 United Rugby Championship. We crunch the numbers ahead of Saturday’s #BIG face-off.
After two meetings, the Stormers are yet to beat Munster in the URC – the only team the men from Cape Town have yet to beat.
Their most recent league loss was against Munster in Round 17.
Munster’s victory over Leinster last weekend ended a five-match losing streak in that fixture.
They haven’t lost in the league in four matches.
The Stormers and Munster have averaged more offloads per 80 minutes than any other teams: 11.4 and 10.75 respectively.
Other noteworthy stats follow below …
* Stormers are going for back-to-back United Rugby Championships – the only other side to have successfully defended the title was Leinster (2013 & 2014 and 2018-21), whilst the Cape Town Stadium hosts its second successive Final. The last repeat final venue was Lansdowne Road Stadium in 2017 and 2018.
* The Stormers have won their last three games since their home defeat to Munster on April 15. This was Stormers’ only home defeat in any competition since the Lions won at Cape Town Stadium in December 2021.
* Outside of the European Cup, the Stormers have not lost a play-off fixture since the Chiefs beat them at Newlands in the quarterfinal of Super Rugby in July 2017.
* Stormers’ only two victories over Irish provinces this season were both against Connacht.
* This is Munster’s seventh appearance in a URC Final. Just two were won, against Neath at Millennium Stadium in 2003 and over Leinster in Limerick in 2011, whilst they have been defeated in their last three Championship finals – against Glasgow in 2015, Scarlets in 2017 and Leinster in 2021.
* Munster are unbeaten in their last four BKT United Rugby Championship games since their 26-38 reversal at home to Glasgow warriors on March 25.
* The Munstermen lost their opening four away games in the Championship this campaign but are unbeaten on the road since.
* Munster’s only defeat to a South African side this season was on their trip to Sharks in the Champions Cup round of 16 on 1 April.
* The two sides have met only twice before, with Munster victorious on both occasions – at Thomond Park in October 2021 and at Stadium last month.
Stormers
* Manie Libbok was the top points scorer in the semifinals, scoring 23 of the Stormers’ 43 points. He was also the only player to score two tries in the last round and has assisted more tries with kicks than any other player (five)
* Hacjivah Dayimani made just three carries at the weekend. However, he also made 24 metres in contact, two try assists, and two clean breaks
* The Stormers have averaged the fewest carries per 80 minutes in the URC this season, just 89.7. However, their try-scoring rate in the opposition 22 is a league-high 41 percent
Munster
* Gavin Coombes and Mike Haley made more carries than any other players in the semifinals, 20 apiece. Coombes has made the most carries in the league this season, a total of 231
* Against Leinster, Shane Daly made more offloads than any other player in the round – five in total. Teammate Tadgh Beirne won the joint-most turnovers (three, = Josh van der Flier)
* Munster have made an average of 131 carries per 80 minutes this season – more than any other team. They have scored the second-fewest first phase tries (20)
