The battle of the bottom feeders…. let’s hope for some tries at least.
Kick-off is at 17h05.
DHL Stormers: 15 Jaco Taute, 14 Damian de Allende, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Kurt Coleman, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Nizaam Carr, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Michael Rhodes, 3 Pat Cilliers, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Alistair Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Stephan Coetzee, 17 Oliver Kebble, 18 Brok Harris, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Dylon Frylinck, 22 Peter Grant, 23 Kobus van Wyk.
Toyota Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Rayno Benjamin, 11 Willie le Roux, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Johannes Prinsloo, 7 Teboho Mohoje, 6 Heinrich BrΓΌssow, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Willem Serfontein, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Caylib Oosthuizen.
Replacements: 16 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Nicolaas van Dyk, 19 Hilton Lobberts, 20 Carel Greeff, 21 Tian Meyer, 22 Elgar Watts, 23 Gouws Prinsloo.

The game has got a lot to live up to after this morning…looking forward to an open game between two sides who have little to lose!
@pastorshark (Comment 1) : So much for that first comment…rain, rain, rain in Cape Town…that should suit the Cheetahs more today I reckon, what with the Stormers tight 5 being arguably weaker than that of the Cheetahs…well, we’ll see…
Go Cheetahs!
I think Deon Fourie vs Adriaan Strauss and Kurt Coleman vs Johan Goosen are two crucial match-ups in the wet…and I think the Cheetahs will have the advantage there…
Cold, wet and windy…here we go…
Stormers still give it a bit of air…until Sadie intervenes and knocks it on…scrum Stormers…
Burger injured in the first move of the match…but back up…
De Villiers didn’t pass a late fitness test…so de Allende back to inside centre and van Wyk on the wing…
First scrum goes down, but ref lets play go on…
Good pressure by Stormers…Stormers lineout, 6m out…
Mall looked dangerous but well stopped…illegally though so penalty Stormers…kick for the corner…
Well defended at first, but then Deon Fourie straight through the middle for a score…that’s great for my fantasy league!
Coleman’s kick looked oerfect but the wind caught it and pushed it well wide…5-0…7 mins…
Huge wind and rain now…Goosen’s kick-off waaaay directly into touch…
It’ll be tough to play constructive rugby in this weather…
Should’ve been a 5m scrum to the Cheetahs, but Berry missed the touch?
Cheetahs with an attacking lineout…but lose the ball before contact and Stormers clear…
Now Stormers knock…
Goosen chips poorly…Stormers penalty…
The wind is frightening…
Great take by Willie…came down hard, but hung on…Stormers with a defensive lineout…
Cheetahs have a scrum on the Stormers 10…
Big scrum Stormers and then a lovely chip by Boom…Cheetahs have a lineout on the Stormers 22…
Stormers penalised at the breakdown…Cheetahs kick for the corner…
Big mall, but great Stormers counter shove…then another breakdown penalty against the Stormers…
Cheetahs kick for the corner again…
Another great counter-shove by the Stormers…this time Fourie wins the breakdown penalty…
Stormers tap and go from their 22 and advance all the way to the Cheetahs 22 before Strauss wins a turnover penalty…
Wind has quietened down now…chio by Willie almost comes off, but Stormers counter attack…
Late tackle by Adriaan Strauss…and picked up and tipped van Wyk. Yellow card…
Fair call…Stormers kick it out on the 22…
Lots of movement, none of it forward though…scrum Stormers 5+m back…
Boom off as they bring on a front ranker for Strauss…
Good defence Cheetahs as they hold it up and win the turnover scrum…
Still 5-0 after 25 mins…
Free kick Stormers…put in not straight to the scrum…good, but inconsistent call…
Penalty Stormers…Coleman nails it…8-0 after 29…
Penalty Stormers at the breakdown after kickoff…
Stormers lose the lineout on their own throw…up and under well dealt with by Stormers…
Cornel Hendricks bounces Kolbe :), but then Mahoje knocks it…
After a lot of kicking a stunning counter attacking dry…started by Kolbe, great run and offload by Carr…next phase de Allende puts van Wyk in…
Coleman kicks it beautifully in the wind…15-0 after 35…Stormers are playing well in these conditions…
Poor lineout by Strauss…right over the top…Stormers clear…
Cheetahs attack again…this time a Cheetahs breakdown penalty…
@pastorshark (Comment 40) : Can’t wait to see Steyn hunt down Kolbe….Frans takes the education of these young laaities very seriously…..maak hulle met hand groot. π
TMO to check foul play…Carr veers into Brussouw off the ball…Brussouw pulls him on the collar…just a stern word to both of them…classic: Burger says they know.each other better now…:)
@FireTheLooser (Comment 45) : π π π
Cheetahs kick for the corner and attack strongly before a breakdown penalty to the Stormers…
@FireTheLooser (Comment 45) : I really hope our tight 5 educates theirs too…they should!
Willie counter attacks…but Stormers very good at the breakdown…lineout on the 22…
Poor lineout throw by Fourie, but they get lucky…and get the penalty at the next breakdown…
Kurt will take the shot…and misses…15-0 halftime…
Cheetahs haven’t been good…Stormers have played well in the conditions…
To win against the Stormers next week we need:
– tight 5 dominance;
– good defence;
– strong breakdown.
In other words, keep going as we have been. Does anyone know when Marcell will be back?
Some poor handling by the Cheetahs…
Penalty Cheetahs…kick for the corner…
Cheetahs attack…good driving tackle by Carr, but Cheetahs get the penalty…
Quick tap…poor cross kick by Goosen…another penalty for nkt back 10…
Cheetahs with a rehearsed move of the tap penalty…but obstruction a few phases later results in a Stormers penalty…
Great break by Stormers before a knock…then a good kick by Cheetahs means Stormers under pressure 5m out…Groom’s kick charged down…22…
Deep 22 stuffed up by Cheetahs…penalty Stormers…
Kurt goes for posts…and nails it…18-0 after 50…
Great mall Stormers…collapsed…
Cheetahs on a team warning…
Stormers lineout 10m out…
Great Cheetahs counter shove…
Stormers still attack…after several phases Vermeulen is penalised for side entry…
GO SARRIES!!!!!
25 mins to go…quite a few changes now…
Haha…shocker by Kurt…drop the ball cold…
Scrum penalty Cheetahs…quick tap…but now Stormers get the turnover penalty at the breakdown…
Haha…now a shocking kick by Kurt as he tries to kick the penalty into touch and hooks it wildly…
Cheetahs knock it and Stormers have a scrum as Peter Grant comes on for Kurt…
Sarries lead 3-0 in the Heineken Cup final…
Toulon have a yellow…and Farrell misses one…
@rhineshark (Comment 68) : Go Toulon!! It’s turning into quite a good game isn’t it. It’s Wilko and his saffas vs Farrell and his saffas.
De Allende with a huge break…penalty Cheetahs…lucky not to get a yellow after the team warning…
@pastorshark (Comment 75) : and Danie can”t hold onto a ball today.
Grant kicks the penalty to make it 21-0…
Now Cheetahs get a penalty from the kickoff and kick it into the corner…
Stormers contest well, but knock it…Cheetahs scrum 10m out…
Good strength by Sadie, Cheetahs attack 5m out…after numerous phases they stuff up the reverse flick…Stormers clear…
Poor stuff by the Cheetahs backline…Stormers scrum…21-0, 13 mins to go…
Stormers almost score after a kick through…great stuff by Grant and Carr…
Free kick Cheetahs after foot up at the scrum…good that they’re blowing it, though not consistently…
Stormers on the charge and Kolisi scores…but they’ll check the last pass…
There is a much more interesting game on at the moment, with almost as many South African players :P.
5-3 Toulon, kick to come.
TMO awards the try…
Awesome try by Toulon
Conversion is simple and good…28-0…9 mins to go…
7-3 Toulon
@Seth101 (Comment 87) : Trying to switch between the two…:)
Another Stormers penalty…kicked to touch on the 22…
Stormers attack 5m out…and earn a penalty…
Until a Stormers player pulls Lobberts’ hair…after Lobberts elbowed him in the face…let’s see what the TMO does?
My words can not describe how much I wish we would get rid of sanzar and supereugby, and play a north south club comp.
4 Blue gets a yellow…that’s…umm…Botha?…no Rhodes? Well, one of the two…in fairness Lobberts should probably also have been carded…
Scrappy play now…ultimately a Stormers lineout just outside the 22…
Try Toulon!
Drop by Wilkinson makes it 10-3 Toulon…
Very good chip ahead, poor stuff by Cheetahs on defence and that Fijian Stormers winger scores…
Don’t ask me to spell his name…:)
Grant misses the conversion…33-0…
Sorry drop goal, that’s what you get when listening from the kitchen :P.
More poor execution by the Cheetahs…they’ve had a night to forget…
A rolling kick sets up a last lineout…
Hooter goes…Stormers hoof it out and win 33-0…
@pastorshark (Comment 101) : go Toulon!!!
Very convincing…but Cheetahs were super crap…
@lostfish (Comment 76) : Yes, its a Saffafest! π
If de Kock doesn’t come on soon, we’re screwed.
Toulon up at halftime…10-3…
@pastorshark (Comment 110) : hope the Cheetahs save this kind of a performance for the Sharks game!!!!
@JD (Comment 114) : Absolutely!! They were very poor in basically every department tonight…
@pastorshark (Comment 113) : Matt Gitteau scored their try…
Man did a get this one wrong! Wrong Cheetahs team pitched. Congrats to the Stormers!
Wow, didn’t watch the game. What a hiding! π―
@vanmartin (Comment 117) : Well, Rob got 100% for his picks…although…who would have picked that margin…
Penalty Sarries…Farrell makes it 10-6…
@JD (Comment 114) : They always bring their A game when playing the Sharks.
Ah, that’s the Bakkies we know…
@lostfish (Comment 121) : That’s long gone…
Bakkies needs some attention to a cut above his eye…
@rhineshark (Comment 123) : I hope it stays that way…:)
@pastorshark (Comment 125) : We broke that hoodoo. We’re still struggling with Griquas in the CC, though.
Neil de Kock on for Saracens…
@lostfish (Comment 121) : ja that’s correct they just save that big match especially for the Sharks.
Both locks for Toulon, Botha and Russouw, replaced…
@rhineshark (Comment 126) : maybe they don’t qualify for the Currie cup and so we would not need to play them.
Alan Rolland is a breakdown moron!
Penalty Toulon…and Wilkinson nails it…13-6…
@JD (Comment 130) : That would help! π
@JD (Comment 130) : That would be tragic…because every time we lose the first game of the season to Griquas, we win the Currie Cup!! π π
@rhineshark (Comment 131) : Allan Rolland is a moron, period.
@pastorshark (Comment 134) : π
@pastorshark (Comment 135) : No, he awarded us 2 penalties!
A tight final is just starting to open up…
Fuck!!!
What a try by Juan Smith…great interplay by the loosies…
The Saffas are on fire!
@rhineshark (Comment 139) : Sorry…
20-6 with 19 mins to go…that must be it surely?
Habana deserves an Oscar for that performance.
Oooh…Farrell moved his shoulder slightly into Habana…and Habana went flying…a bit melodramatic…but only a penalty to Toulon…
@pastorshark (Comment 140) : It is amazing to see how much better he is now playing week in week out with a class team.
But that “only a penalty” makes it 23-6…
@lostfish (Comment 146) : Yeah…glad for him…always liked the man!
Bugger off Habana. This isn’t soccer.
Rolland is not that flash at the breakdown, is he?
@pastorshark (Comment 142) : You’re forgiven, my son… π
@rhineshark (Comment 149) : Ja no…that was like Christiano Ronaldo that!
@rhineshark (Comment 151) : π π π
@rhineshark (Comment 149) : He does this quite often nowadays.
@lostfish (Comment 146) : Same with Drew Mitchell.
Right…time to get this flu-ridden head to bed…good night!
@lostfish (Comment 154) : It quickly errodes any respect when a rugby player does that.
@rhineshark (Comment 155) : Must be a Toulon wing thing
Stormers starting to find some form. Will they catch the Sharks napping, that is the question….
@pastorshark (Comment 156) : Cheers. Gute Besserung!
@rhineshark (Comment 157) : It sure does. Thinking about it Habana started the OTT acting when he was still at the Stormers.
@rhineshark (Comment 160) : Vielen Dank!!!
@lostfish (Comment 158) : That comment referred to Juan Smith’s form as part of a quality side. I think it’s just as relevant to Mitchell.
@lostfish (Comment 161) : Jip, nothing new.
@rhineshark (Comment 163) : My bad, I was thinking I hadn’t really seen Mitchell flopping around like a prima donna but I don’t get to watch as much rugby nowadays and he was quite a pr*ck when playing for Aus.
@lostfish (Comment 165) : Hehe no worries. I’ve always rated Mitchell, even when he was in Aussie gear.
I hope the Sharks learn from this Heineken Cup final. Don’t change your game for a final – Sarries should have just played their usual game.
@rhineshark (Comment 167) : Farrell also seemed to fade into nothing. Danny Cipriani must be rating his England chances a little bit better now.
Man, Habana is getting annoying. Drops the ball cold, pretends he pulled a hammie, then miraculously recovers. π
@lostfish (Comment 168) : Maybe Jonny makes a comeback. π
Well done Toulon! Completely outplayed us.
@rhineshark (Comment 169) : never liked him!!!!
@rhineshark (Comment 170) : That would be awesome as he is still pretty much one of the best flyhalves in the world.
@lostfish (Comment 168) : how you feeling?
@rhineshark (Comment 131) : So I’m not the only one to think so…thankfully, we’ll not have to suffer through any more of his frailties as he apparently retired after tonight.
Very average showing by Saracens (though Roland’s misgivings at the breakdown didn’t help their cause).
They needed someone like FLouw, because on tonight’s performance, they might be able to reach the VC semi final.
P.S. – Got to laugh at this pom’s commentary re: Wilkinson…”not a dry eye in the house” π
@JD (Comment 174) : like a nauseous beached whale π
@lostfish (Comment 177) : can’t be that bad?!?!
@rhineshark (Comment 170) : @lostfish (Comment 173) : don’t think he will do that as he now went out on a high!!!
@JD (Comment 178) : π― never ever say that to a pregnant woman…she WILL take it the wrong way π―
@FireTheLooser (Comment 180) : luckily I’m far away so can’t get hurt!
@JD (Comment 181) : Her husband will now suffer for your sake π― π
@FireTheLooser (Comment 182) : ag shit did not think about her poor husband. Hope he survive π
@FireTheLooser (Comment 182) : @JD (Comment 183) : Lol, you boys make me laugh. Luckily for my hubby he is on the other side of the world in Australia at the moment.
@lostfish (Comment 184) : ag shame hope he’s back soon. You know if the new baby is a boy or a girl?
@JD (Comment 185) : He is back at the end of next week. It’s another girl shark π
Well done Stormers!
I wonder if ole Cheetahs Glory still values style over substance after that violation? π π
@lostfish (Comment 186) : congrats! Enjoy the time before you know it they’re all grown up.
@Big Fish (Comment 187) : maybe not but sure the guys on SuperSport really crowing about their beloved Stormers and how super they are.
@JD (Comment 189) :
No surprise there. π
Nonetheless, the Stormers were far superior. Cheetahs showing why one should never forget that rugby is won with points – not pretty displays.
@Big Fish (Comment 190) : that’s true!!!! Hope the Sharks can bring the Stormers and the SuperSport guys back to earth next week.
@Big Fish (Comment 190) : Agreed…the Stormers were much the better side and they played a pretty balanced game…good forward display, good at the breakdown and – in that weather – good skills and counter-attacking in the backline…
@JD (Comment 189) : Still…the Supersport blokes do go a bit overboard when it comes to the Cape side don’t they?
@pastorshark (Comment 193) : ja listening to them it sounds as if they’re in top spot and not in eleventh. Hope the Sharks really nail them this weekend! !!
@JD (Comment 194) : Yes please…