Planet Rugby's player ratings from the Stormers' 20-11 semi-final defeat to Leinster point to a familiar story: the pack competed hard, the bench undid it. Evan Roos earns the standout mark (8/10) for a performance that matched Caelan Doris blow-for-blow — 24 tackles, two turnovers and 10 carries — while the rest of the loose trio and the tight five drew solid if unspectacular scores for physical, committed work that kept the Stormers in the fight. The wingers are the low point in the backs, with Simelane and Zas each conceding four missed tackles and offering little in attack. The real damage, though, came from the replacements: Ruan Ackermann's yellow-card-turned-red and a compounding infringement from Salmaan Moerat in the same two-minute stretch killed the Stormers' momentum at the worst possible moment, earning the bench a collective 4/10.
Evan Roos shines but Stormers' bench costs them in Leinster loss
Evan Roos earns top marks for his battle with Doris, but a catastrophic two minutes from the Stormers' replacements — featuring Ackermann's red card and a needless Moerat infringement — ultimately ended their semi-final hopes against Leinster.
What Bordeaux's Champions Cup demolition of Leinster means for SA's URC finals hopes
Rich uses Bordeaux's physical demolition of Leinster as a lens on SA's URC finals prospects — arguing the Stormers cost themselves and their SA counterparts dearly by failing to secure second place, while flagging a scrumhalf depth problem that extends beyond the URC and straight into Erasmus's Bok planning.
Burger: Roos earns his Bok recall — but the soft-skill weakness is real
Burger endorses Roos's Bok recall but flags a genuine soft-skill concern, while De Villiers uses Papier and Horn to argue Erasmus's selection culture consistently rewards sustained URC form.
Fourie knee scan clouds Stormers career outlook after Henderson red-card incident
Deon Fourie faces a knee scan and potential career uncertainty after being injured by a croc roll from Ulster's Ian Henderson, who was ultimately red-carded, during the Stormers' URC match. Stormers defence coach Norman Laker confirmed the scan and called for consequences, while also flagging a near-identical incident involving Evan Roos in the same game.
Dobson demands croc roll eradication after Fourie suffers knee injury against Ulster
John Dobson has called for the croc roll to be eradicated after Deon Fourie suffered a medial ligament knee injury from one in the Stormers' 38-38 draw with Ulster, with Iain Henderson receiving a 20-minute red card for the offence.
Dobson relieved by late draw but frustrated at Stormers' missed chance to lead URC
The Stormers drew 38-all with Ulster in Belfast, salvaging three log points via a late penalty try but missing the chance to lead the URC after Glasgow also won. Deon Fourie faces the rest of the season out with a knee ligament injury sustained from a red-card croc-roll by Iain Henderson.