Gavin Rich's preview of Saturday's Cape Town derby argues that while the scrum battle will be fierce given the Bok props involved on both sides, the real contest may hinge on whether the Sharks can disrupt the Stormers at lineout. The Stormers' driving maul has been as dangerous as their set piece this season — their second-half demolition of Connacht illustrated what happens when it gets going, and the All Blacks pre-season encounter underlined it further. The Edinburgh game, however, showed the counter: pressure the lineout and the maul never gets off the ground. Venter's HIA exit left the Stormers with a lineout that lacked cohesion — Norton playing his first game at lock, Kolisi in his first Stormers appearance in five years, Theunissen and Dixon both absent. Rich is careful not to pin the Edinburgh breakdown solely on Venter's replacement, but the combination of an unsettled lock pairing and disrupted communication among lifters and jumpers clearly compounded the problem. The Sharks did exactly this in Cape Town last January, and Etzebeth will know precisely what buttons to push. Dobson meanwhile faces selection questions around his loose forwards and locks before kick-off.
Sharks' blueprint: Starve the Stormers maul at source
Rich argues the Stormers-Sharks derby turns on whether Etzebeth and the Sharks lineout can repeat last January's blueprint — disrupt the Stormers at source and neuter their maul before it starts. He unpacks why the Edinburgh lineout malfunction was more systemic than just Venter's HIA exit, and what Dobson needs to fix.
Dobson: Kolbe returning to win trophies, not to wind down
John Dobson says Cheslin Kolbe has made a major financial sacrifice to return to the Stormers, motivated by winning trophies rather than winding down his career, while warning the franchise is close to its limit on high-profile signings.
Springbok Recall! Relive Phepsi Buthelezi's 2025/26 Season
#SharksRugby #PhepsiButhelezi #Springboks
Feinberg-Mngomezulu ankle injury puts Rugby Nations Championship opener in doubt
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will miss at least the first three rounds of the Rugby Nations Championship after injuring his ankle in the Stormers' URC quarterfinal win over Cardiff, adding to a growing list of Springbok halfback concerns that already includes Cobus Reinach's knee injury.
De Allende linked with Stormers return as Etzebeth speculation addressed
Damian de Allende is being linked with a 2027 return to the Stormers, potentially joining Kolbe, Kolisi and Louw in the franchise's Project 2029 rebuild, while the Sharks have shut down speculation over Eben Etzebeth's availability.
Dobson's 2012 gamble on Kolbe, and why the Stormers' homecoming recruits aren't a Sharks repeat
Rich reveals Kolbe nearly quit rugby in 2012 before Dobson's intervention, and uses the Stormers' latest homecoming signings to argue why their model is structurally different from — and smarter than — the Sharks' costly Galactico era.